The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a stern warning to the Federal Government of Nigeria, demanding the immediate implementation of the newly approved salary structure for university lecturers.
The union cautioned that failure to comply could lead to a nationwide shutdown of all public universities.
On Thursday, March 26, 2026, the union officially issued a four-day ultimatum. ASUU President Christopher Piwuna stated that the government’s failure to act within this timeframe would result in a significant escalation.
Speaking at Sa’adu Zungur University in Bauchi State, Piwuna emphasized that the government must initiate payments under the new arrangement immediately.
“We have issued a four-day ultimatum from today to the federal government to commence payment of the newly approved salary structure. Failure to comply will attract a strong response from the union,” Piwuna declared.
This warning follows a renegotiated agreement signed between ASUU and the federal government in January, which was intended to resolve long-standing disputes and end the cycle of strikes affecting the Nigerian university system.
The core of this deal is a revised salary structure aimed at improving the welfare of lecturers and addressing unresolved issues from the 2009 FG-ASUU pact, which remained largely unimplemented for over a decade.
While there was initial optimism regarding the January agreement, the union now reports very little progress. Piwuna recently revealed that numerous Federal Government universities are currently struggling to meet their financial obligations, with some institutions unable to fully pay January wages and others yet to pay for February.
The tension recently reached a breaking point at the University of Lagos, where lecturers briefly embarked on an indefinite strike over unpaid salaries before suspending the action following talks with management.
ASUU suggested that the delay in rolling out the new pay structure is tied to practical hurdles, such as the slow passage of the 2026 Federal Government budget.
As the countdown on the ultimatum begins, there is increasing pressure on the federal government to intervene and prevent another major disruption to academic activities across the nation.
