New turmoil brews in universities as ASUU sounds alarm

The Sokoto Zonal Chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed deep concern over the slow and selective implementation of the 2025 Federal Government ASUU Agreement, which could potentially trigger industrial unrest in the nation's tertiary education sector, affecting 10 universities across the North-West.

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The union, led by Zonal Coordinator Comrade Abubakar Sabo, has accused federal and state governments of failing to implement critical aspects of the agreement, which was publicly presented in January 2026, and has created bureaucratic bottlenecks and inconsistencies in its implementation.

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According to Sabo, several federal and state universities have yet to fully implement major components of the 2025 FGN ASUU Agreement, including academic and professorial allowances, earned academic allowances, promotion arrears, salary shortfalls, annual increments, and unpaid third-party deductions affecting lecturers.

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The union is calling on both federal and state governments to faithfully implement every component of the agreement to ensure industrial harmony, stability, and sustainable development of Nigerian universities, warning that neglect of lecturers' welfare and university governance issues could have severe consequences.

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ASUU is also lamenting the continued neglect of welfare-related matters affecting academics nationwide, including outstanding 25–35 per cent salary award arrears, unpaid promotion benefits, withheld salaries linked to the 2022 ASUU strike action, delayed pension payments, and lack of pension harmonisation for retired academics.

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State-owned universities within the Sokoto Zone are facing additional challenges, including the non-implementation of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance and non-payment of earned academic allowances for parallel and special academic sessions, with cases cited at Sokoto State University and Shehu Shagari University of Education.

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Some universities are failing to remit cooperative deductions and union dues, while others owe lecturers promotion arrears and annual salary increments dating back to 2020, prompting Sabo to declare that universities cannot function effectively where lecturers are denied their legitimate entitlements for years.

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Nigerian academics deserve dignity, fair treatment, and prompt payment of their lawful earnings, according to Sabo, who warned that the continued delay in resolving these issues could provoke widespread industrial disputes capable of destabilising academic activities across the country.

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The Sokoto Zone has aligned itself with ASUU's National Executive Council in rejecting several recent policy pronouncements in the education sector, including the reported reversal of the mother-tongue policy in early child education without adequate empirical justification.

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ASUU is also criticising the proposed establishment of foreign-affiliated universities under the Transnational Education Framework, arguing that such initiatives could undermine local universities and weaken Nigeria's higher education system, and has expressed reservations over the compulsory enrolment of academics into the Nigerian Educational Repository Data system.

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The union is opposing moves to phase out some humanities and social science courses under the guise of labour market reforms, with Sabo stressing that all academic disciplines remain relevant to national growth and societal advancement, and that Nigeria's unemployment crisis is not caused by academic programmes but by poor economic policies.

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ASUU has condemned the rising cases of maladministration, lack of transparency, and politically motivated appointments in Nigerian universities, arguing that the increasing trend of questionable academic designations and irregular appointments poses serious threats to the integrity, autonomy, and global reputation of Nigerian universities.

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University leadership appointments must strictly be guided by merit, due process, accountability, and transparency, according to the union, which is committed to upholding these principles in the interest of Nigerian academics and the nation's higher education system.

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On the security situation in the country, ASUU has expressed grave concern over worsening insecurity, economic hardship, and political tensions across Nigeria, especially in the northern region, where banditry, terrorism, kidnapping, and communal conflicts continue to disrupt educational activities.

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The union has called on governments at all levels to urgently prioritise the protection of lives and property, tackle poverty and unemployment, and create conditions necessary for meaningful national development and educational stability, warning that the current situation is unsustainable and poses a significant threat to the nation's future.

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The Sokoto Zone has reiterated its commitment to defending the rights of Nigerian academics and sustaining the struggle for improved funding, welfare, and autonomy of public universities across the country, according to Sabo, who emphasized the importance of collective action in addressing these critical issues.