ASUU Declares Nationwide Campus Protest for Tuesday, August 26

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced Tuesday, August 26, 2025, as a nationwide protest day across all university campuses in Nigeria.

In a brief statement shared via its official Facebook page and obtained by Precision Online Newspaper, the union said the protest is aimed at expressing frustration over the government’s continued neglect of its longstanding demands.

The statement read:

"Tuesday, 26th August 2025, has been declared a day of protest across all campuses to express our strong dissatisfaction with the government’s persistent neglect of our demands."

This development follows an earlier press release by ASUU’s leadership, headed by Prof. Christopher Piwuna, issued on August 8, 2025. In that statement, the union urged both the federal and state governments to take urgent action to improve the welfare of lecturers, clear outstanding arrears, and address the deteriorating conditions in universities.

ASUU’s Press Statement Excerpt – “Act Now to Avert the Looming Crisis”:

Reacting to recent remarks by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa—who claimed that strikes by university staff would become a thing of the past due to ongoing dialogue and collaboration—ASUU warned that words alone are not enough. While the union supports genuine dialogue, it insists that tangible action is needed to address unresolved issues.

According to ASUU, many lecturers in Nigerian public universities are working under severe hardship—teaching without pay, researching in ill-equipped environments, and struggling personally and professionally. The union also criticized the government's inconsistency in honoring agreements, particularly the 2009 FGN–ASUU Agreement, which has seen little progress despite a draft renegotiation proposal being submitted since December 2024.

ASUU emphasized that every major dispute since 2012 stems from government failure to fully implement provisions relating to conditions of service, funding, autonomy, and academic freedom. The union also denounced the implementation of the controversial IPPIS payment system and described attempts to recruit foreign-based academics under the "Diaspora Bridge" initiative as hypocritical given the poor treatment of local lecturers.

Furthermore, the union raised concerns about political interference in the appointment of Vice-Chancellors, citing irregularities in the leadership of Alvan Ikoku University of Education and similar trends in other institutions.

ASUU concluded its statement by calling on well-meaning Nigerians to demand meaningful resolution of the lingering issues in the university system. The union stressed that only a comprehensive Collective Bargaining Agreement that addresses staff welfare and working conditions can prevent another full-scale industrial crisis.

“The time to act is now,” the union warned.

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