ASUU Grounds Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Declares Indefinite Strike Over ₦3bn Unpaid Entitlements

Academic activities have been paralysed at Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), following the declaration of a total, comprehensive, and indefinite strike by the institution's chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over alleged unpaid entitlements amounting to more than ₦3 billion.

The Chairman of ASUU NSUK, Dr Zubairu Abdulmumini Loko, announced the decision on Monday after an emergency Branch Congress convened to deliberate on what the union described as the continued non-implementation of the 2025 Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN)-ASUU agreement, alongside other unresolved local issues affecting the university's academic staff.

Addressing journalists at a press conference in Keffi, Loko explained that the decision to embark on strike action followed the union's exhaustion of several avenues of dialogue and engagement with relevant authorities, none of which succeeded in securing satisfactory implementation of the agreement or resolution of the outstanding local matters. He described the industrial action as "total, comprehensive, indefinite, and suffocating," stressing that it would affect all academic activities at the university, including undergraduate lectures, postgraduate supervision, and external examination defences, until the union's demands are met.

According to Loko, the branch had formally sought and obtained the approval of ASUU's National Executive Council (NEC) before proceeding with the strike, a procedural step that lends the action the full backing of the union's national leadership. He said the decision was firmly in line with resolutions reached at the NEC's last meeting, held in July.

Detailing the specific entitlements at the heart of the dispute, Loko listed outstanding arrears including the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), estimated at over ₦2 billion on its own, arrears tied to the 25 per cent and 35 per cent wage awards spanning 25 months, ₦35,000 in wage award arrears, and adjustments linked to the ₦70,000 national minimum wage implementation, alongside the federal government-approved salary increment for university lecturers nationwide.

The ASUU chairman did not hold back in his criticism of both the university management and the Nasarawa State Government, accusing both parties of insensitivity toward the welfare of lecturers despite what he described as numerous prior engagements aimed at resolving the issues. He stressed that agreements freely reached between the parties must be respected, implemented, and honoured, framing the strike as a necessary response to what the union sees as a persistent pattern of unmet commitments.

In its official statement, ASUU NSUK expressed regret over the inconvenience the industrial action is likely to cause students, parents, and other university stakeholders, but maintained that the responsibility for restoring industrial harmony rests squarely on the urgent resolution of the issues that necessitated the strike in the first place. The union called on the Federal Government, the Nasarawa State Government, the university's Governing Council, its management, and other relevant stakeholders to intervene urgently and take concrete steps toward addressing the outstanding grievances.

Despite the firm tone of the strike declaration, the union indicated it remained open to genuine, meaningful, and result-oriented dialogue, noting that the industrial action could be suspended once there is demonstrable commitment and concrete action toward implementing the outstanding agreements and resolving the local issues raised by the branch.

The NSUK strike adds to a long history of industrial disputes between ASUU and various tiers of government across Nigeria's public university system, disputes that have repeatedly disrupted academic calendars nationwide over unresolved issues bordering on funding, allowances, and the full implementation of previously negotiated agreements. For NSUK students in particular, the indefinite nature of the current action means lectures, postgraduate supervision, and examination defences will remain suspended with no fixed resumption date, pending progress in negotiations between the union and the relevant authorities.

As of the time of this report, neither the university management nor the Nasarawa State Government had issued a public response to the specific allegations raised by the ASUU chapter, leaving the timeline for resolution, and the resumption of academic activities at the institution, uncertain.