The Academic Staff Union of Universities has dropped its earlier threat to go on strike after the delayed payment of June 2025 salaries to its members.
The Chairman of the University of Abuja branch of ASUU, Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh, confirmed this during an interview with LEADERSHIP on Tuesday.
Dr. Ugoh explained that the union suspended its plan to withdraw services because salaries began to appear in members’ accounts before the 11:59 pm deadline set by the branch.
“The June 2025 salary of our members started to drop before the end of the 11:59 pm Monday 7th July, 2025 ultimatum given by ASUU UniAbuja. Therefore, the Branch did not activate the withdrawal of service as earlier resolved by Congress,” Ugoh stated.
This decision has provided a temporary relief from what could have escalated into a nationwide academic shutdown.
Earlier, the national leadership of ASUU had instructed branches to begin service withdrawal if lecturers’ June salaries were not paid on time.
This directive was based on a National Executive Council resolution enforcing a “No Pay, No Work” policy, after recurring salary delays, which ASUU attributed to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna, on Monday described the problem as a result of the government’s “lackadaisical attitude,” saying that despite several discussions with relevant officials, lecturers still faced unnecessary delays in receiving their salaries.
“We want to work, but we cannot because they have not allowed us to work. It’s a deliberate act. The payment platform isn’t the problem. The issue is that those in charge of releasing funds are simply not doing their jobs,” the ASUU president had said.
Piwuna also emphasized that the hardship caused by the shift from the IPPIS to the GIFMIS platform had worsened the difficulties faced by lecturers, and that any university where members had not been paid by July 7 was expected to begin strike action immediately.
