Fury Boils Over: ASUU Orders Total Shutdown in Universities over June Salary Delay, Demands Immediate Release of ₦10bn Earned Allowance

University lecturers across Nigeria have downed tools as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) enforces a nationwide suspension of academic activities over the non-payment of June 2025 salaries. The union’s decision, grounded in its long-standing “No Pay, No Work” policy, has seen schools like the University of Jos and the University of Abuja already ground to a halt.

ASUU National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, confirmed on Monday, July 7, that the directive was issued following a resolution by the union’s National Executive Council (NEC), which mandates that members withdraw their services if salaries are delayed beyond the third day of any month. He accused officials within the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation of deliberately holding back lecturers’ pay despite the smooth functioning of the new Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).

Lecturers have been enduring what Piwuna described as “dehumanizing delays” since the transition from IPPIS to GIFMIS. Despite meetings with the Minister of Education and the Accountant General, the government has reportedly failed to offer any justification or remedy for the recurring delays. “We are tired of the excuses,” Piwuna declared. “They know the platform works, yet salaries are still withheld. It’s a deliberate attack on the dignity of university workers.”

Beyond the June salary debacle, ASUU is also calling for the immediate payment of the remaining ₦10 billion from the ₦50 billion pledged for Earned Academic Allowances (EAA). Piwuna emphasized that failure to release the outstanding balance could spark another wave of industrial actions. “We’ve only received ₦40 billion. If the remaining ₦10 billion isn’t released quickly, this crisis will deepen,” he warned.

At the University of Jos, the ASUU branch chairman, Dr. Jurbe Molwus, said lecturers have withdrawn from teaching, examinations, and even statutory meetings in compliance with NEC’s directive. He confirmed that the branch has activated its strike monitoring team to enforce total compliance, stressing that the action will continue until salaries are paid.

Multiple lecturers across the country, speaking anonymously, lamented that they have resorted to borrowing and side jobs to survive, with some institutions experiencing up to 10 days’ delay before salaries are eventually disbursed. Students, too, are already feeling the impact, with several classes and ongoing semester exams abruptly halted.

ASUU says it is no longer interested in appeasing talks or empty promises. “We’ve held meetings, submitted memos, and followed protocols. Enough is enough,” Piwuna asserted. With more universities set to join the action in the coming days, the academic calendar across Nigerian public universities is now facing yet another potential collapse—one born not out of student unrest, but of official negligence.