The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Owerri Zone, comprising Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Igbariam; Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO); Imo State University (IMSU), Owerri; Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU); and Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka, has announced that the union will have no alternative but to embark on full-scale industrial action from 21 November 2025 if the Federal Government of Nigeria fails to address their longstanding demands.

The announcement was contained in a release signed by the zonal coordinator, Prof. Dennis Aribodor, and issued to journalists during a press conference held at the ASUU?Unizik conference in Awka on Thursday.

According to Aribodor, ?This press conference was necessitated by the need to alert all critical stakeholders in the Nigerian university system and, indeed, the general public, that time is running out to prevent full-scale industrial action in our public universities.

?Please recall that ASUU, out of respect for students, parents, the media, the Nigeria Labour Congress, and other well-meaning Nigerians, reviewed the then ongoing two-week warning strike, declared on 13 October 2025, and resolved to suspend the strike action on 22 October 2025, five days before the expiration of the two-week period. The union gave a one-month window to government to resolve all issues. Eight days to the end of this one-month window, where are we?

?ASUU Owerri Zone, regrettably, has observed with consternation the government?s continuous failure to prioritise education, as it perceives education as a commercial good that must be self-sustaining instead of a social good that guarantees peace, progress, and national development. The Zone further reviewed the progress made in the renegotiation process since the suspension of the warning strike over two weeks ago and rejected the proposed salary increment, which we consider an insult to Nigerian university academic staff.

?The proposal is not capable of bringing out the best among university lecturers and cannot reverse the perennial brain drain syndrome that has devastated our universities for decades. The salary and conditions-of-service components of the renegotiation process remain a sore point that needs a radical approach to stem the tide in the system.

?To us in ASUU Owerri Zone, government functionaries are undermining the negotiation process by the subtle misrepresentation of offers and selective implementation of agreements just to score cheap political points. The part payment of promotion arrears dating as far back as 2017, and the release of third-party deductions?which are part of members? salaries for years?are mere confidence measures and must not be construed as the substantial issues of the negotiation process. The framing of the government?s implementation is not a true reflection of reality, and this strategy portends great danger to the renegotiation, as it casts doubt on the sincerity of the government. The government?s objective must not be to win the narrative but to solve the real problems. That is the way forward.

?Government is hereby advised to utilise the remaining days to the expiration of the one-month window given to achieve a holistic resolution of the issues, particularly to uplift the take-home pay of academics in Nigeria. The surest way to protect the future of our country is to invest adequately in education. Education is a public good. Education, as the bedrock of any society, deserves special attention in Nigeria given the deficit in our educational infrastructure. Contrary to claims of paucity of funds and economic downturn, evidence shows that there has been a quantum leap in the revenue profile of both the Federal and State Governments.

?For example, in 2022, according to data from the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee, the states received a total of ?3.92 trillion, while the figure for 2024 was ?5.81 trillion, representing an increase of over 62%. Similarly, the Federal Government received ?3.42 trillion in 2022 and ?4.65 trillion in 2024, an increase of over 70%. It is political will?or lack thereof?and not economic factors that have undermined the resolution of this renegotiation process, as the revenue profile above clearly supports this claim.

?The Nigerian Government should not be comfortable with lecturers being on the same salary for 16 years amidst all the devaluations and inflation.

?ASUU Owerri Zone is therefore calling on all stakeholders, including traditional rulers, religious leaders, students, the NLC, the media, and civil society, to urge the government to do the right thing and give lecturers a living wage within the remaining days of the one-month window period.

?ASUU Owerri Zone also expects 100% payment of all outstanding arrears, including the 25?35% wage award, three-and-a-half months? withheld salaries, promotion arrears, and third-party deductions. These are our minimum demands to avoid the resumption of the suspended strike and to ensure industrial harmony in our universities,? the union concluded. (Nigeria Tribune, but headline rejigged)

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