Lecturers at five state-owned universities in Abia, Ondo, Imo, Gombe and Nasarawa states have embarked on indefinite strikes over unresolved welfare concerns and the alleged failure of their institutions and state governments to implement the 2025 renegotiated agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The industrial action followed a directive from ASUU’s national leadership asking about 20 state universities to begin strikes over what the union described as the “haphazard implementation” of the 2025 agreement reached with the Federal Government.
ASUU President, Christopher Piwuna, disclosed the decision in a statement on Monday, saying it followed resolutions reached at the union’s National Executive Council meeting held at the University of Abuja on August 8 and 9, 2026.
At Abia State University, the ASUU chapter declared a total and indefinite strike on Tuesday after the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the institution’s Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council on July 22.
The union said its members had exhausted discussions with the university authorities without satisfactory progress on their demands.
“After extensive deliberation, Congress resolved that, having exhausted the available avenues of dialogue and negotiation without satisfactory resolution of the outstanding welfare demands, the Union shall embark on this action with effect from today (Tuesday, 11th August 2026),” the union said.
“This shall remain effective till the satisfactory resolution of the outstanding welfare demands of our members.”
The ASUU branch at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, also commenced an indefinite strike on Tuesday, barely a week after suspending an earlier industrial action over salary arrears.
Chairman of AAUA-ASUU, Boluwaji Oshodi, said the union had repeatedly written to the Ondo State Government and requested meetings but had yet to see concrete steps towards implementing the agreement.
“The union has just declared an indefinite, total, and comprehensive strike over the non-implementation of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN)/ASUU 2025 agreement,” Oshodi said.
“The resolution is that if that agreement is not implemented here, and the arrears from January are not paid, we are not going to resume.”
At Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, the ASUU chapter has similarly declared an indefinite strike.
The chapter’s chairman, Oluwatoyin Ogunbamike, said the action would continue until the Ondo State Government implements the 2025 agreement between the Federal Government and ASUU.
In Imo State, the ASUU chapter at Imo State University also began an indefinite strike on Monday.
The union said the decision followed several meetings with the university management and the expiration of a 21-day ultimatum without a satisfactory response.
According to the chapter chairman, Stephen Oguji, and secretary, Lazarus Chikwendu, the union is demanding outstanding promotion arrears dating back to 2016, unpaid salaries, 21 months of withheld check-off dues and earned academic allowances allegedly unpaid since 2009.
“ASUU-IMSU has therefore today, 10th August, 2026, embarked on a total and indefinite strike and vows never to return to work until the agreement is fully implemented,” the union said.
The ASUU branch at Nasarawa State University, Keffi, has also joined the industrial action over the alleged non-implementation of the 2025 agreement and other unresolved local issues.
Speaking at a press conference in Keffi, the branch chairman, Zubairu Loko, said the strike began on Monday, August 10, after the union exhausted available channels of dialogue with the relevant authorities.
The latest development comes shortly after three staff unions at Lagos State University — ASUU-LASU, NASU-LASU and NAAT-LASU — announced the withdrawal of their services over outstanding welfare demands.
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Among their demands are payment of the N50,000 palliative promised to Lagos workers, provision of Macopolo buses, implementation of a 20 per cent salary increase pledged after the 2023 governorship election and enforcement of the 2025 FG/ASUU/SSANU/NASU/NAAT agreement.
The unions said they would remain on strike until their demands were satisfactorily addressed.
The renewed industrial action is linked to the implementation of the renegotiated agreement signed between the Federal Government and ASUU on January 14, following negotiations that were concluded in December 2025.
The agreement, reached after nearly 16 years of disputes over previous negotiations, provides for 40 per cent of the Consolidated Salary Scale, Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) and Consolidated Academic Tool Allowance (CATA).
It also covers professorial, responsibility and supervision allowances, alongside other non-monetary provisions aimed at improving conditions in Nigeria’s public universities.