Tinubu's 40% Varsity Pay Rise Stalls: Lecturers Threaten Strike Again

President Bola Tinubu's directive for a 40% salary increase for university lecturers, a move meant to end academic disputes, is hitting a snag. While some universities have started paying, many others are yet to implement the new salaries, even eight months after the agreement was supposed to kick in on January 1, 2026. This delay is brewing fresh trouble, threatening another shutdown of academic activities across the country.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) national body, after its meeting at the University of Abuja on August 8 and 9, has instructed its branches in 20 universities to issue 14-day ultimatums. This is a direct response to the continued delay in implementing the salary hike and other revised allowances that were part of the agreement to improve academics' welfare.

Before the national directive, ASUU's zones in Benin and Yola had already sounded the alarm. They issued warnings covering 11 state universities spread across Edo, Delta, Ondo, Adamawa, Borno, Taraba, and Yobe states. The message was clear: implement the agreement or face industrial action.

Lecturers at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), and Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH) in Ondo State have not waited. They are already on an indefinite strike. Bolu Oshodi, the AAUA ASUU Chairman, stated they won't call off the strike until the money, including arrears from January, is in their bank accounts. Ogunbamike Kehinde, his OAUSTECH counterpart, echoed the same sentiment for his members.

Ondo State's Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, confirmed that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has approved the funds. However, he explained that the payment is currently navigating administrative channels and should be processed soon. "Very soon they will begin to get their alerts," he assured.

Things aren't looking brighter in Plateau State. Lecturers at Plateau State University, Bokkos, have also threatened to stop working if their government fails to implement the salary increase. Dr. Vincent Choji, the ASUU Chairman there, said their ultimatum expires on August 18. "Here in Plateau State University, the implementation has not started. That’s why we are agitating to go on strike," he told Sunday PUNCH.

Similarly, Kaduna State University lecturers have given a 14-day ultimatum. Abubakar Abdullahi, the ASUU chairman at KASU, expressed disappointment that the increase hasn't been implemented after more than eight months. He noted that most federal universities and several state universities have already started payments or have clear timelines, unlike KASU.

In Kano State, lecturers at the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil, and Northwest University, Kano, are also in limbo. The state ASUU chairman, Dr. Aliyu Ahmad, revealed that the government has approved the payment, allocating N228.19 million – N141.08 million for academic staff and N87.11 million for non-teaching staff. However, this approval is for implementation starting September, with arrears from January to August to be funded in the 2027 budget.

Abia State University, Uturu, is also facing the same problem. The university has not begun paying the 40% increase. According to the ASUU chairman, Chidi Mba, this non-implementation is a key demand in their ongoing industrial action. "Abia State University is yet to pay, just like many other universities in the country," he said.