The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to embark on another nationwide strike, accusing the Federal Government of breaching trust and failing to honour agreements on the revitalisation and funding of Nigeria’s public universities.

At a press conference held at the University of Jos on Thursday, ASUU President, Christopher Piwuna, said lecturers had endured more than two years of broken promises and deliberate delays by the government.

He listed unresolved issues including the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, unpaid salary arrears, withheld promotions, and the welfare of retired academics.

“The public should note that ASUU has written several letters to the Federal Government urging an amicable resolution of this crisis. Regrettably, the government has turned a deaf ear to all our appeals,” Piwuna said.

“As always, it is the government’s inaction that pushes our union to strike. It is becoming increasingly clear that we may have no option but to take action to compel the Federal Government to honour its promises.”

The ASUU leader rejected the government’s proposed tertiary staff support loan scheme, describing it as a “trap”.

“Our members do not need loans. What we need is the implementation of agreements that restore our purchasing power. The government still owes us three months’ salaries, yet it is asking us to borrow,” he said.

ASUU also criticised the proliferation of new universities without adequate funding, warning that this has weakened standards and global rankings.

On pensions, the union lamented that professors who had served for over 40 years now earn as little as ₦150,000 monthly despite rising living costs.

Piwuna said the union would await the outcome of a government meeting scheduled for 28 August before deciding on its next steps. In the meantime, ASUU members plan to hold rallies across campuses to register their frustrations.

“Time is running out. We cannot continue to wait endlessly while the future of Nigerian universities is destroyed,” he warned.

ASUU’s warning has raised fears of yet another strike, which could further destabilise the country’s fragile education system. In 2022, the union embarked on an eight-month strike — its second longest. The longest was in 2020, when university teachers downed tools for nine months during the COVID-19 pandemic.