Universities Face Crisis as ASUU Implements “No-Pay, No-Work” Policy Over Unpaid Salaries

Abuja, Nigeria – Nigerian public universities are on the brink of another major disruption as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared a “no-pay, no-work” policy, effective immediately, in response to persistent delays in members’ salaries.

This decisive action, announced by ASUU National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, on Friday, June 7, 2025, highlights a deepening crisis in the nation’s higher education sector.

Professor Piwuna, speaking with a reporter, revealed that the union was left with no alternative due to consistent salary delays following their departure from the controversial Integrated Payment and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

“Since the departure from IPPIS, the salaries of lecturers have consistently been delayed. We don’t get paid the way other workers get paid. It is either we are paid 10 days into a new month,” he lamented.

The ASUU President underscored the severe financial strain on lecturers, particularly amidst Nigeria’s challenging economic climate. “With the economic challenges in the country, it has not been easy for our members. Look at June now, we have not been paid. Our members can’t celebrate Sallah properly,” he added, referencing the upcoming Eid-el-Kabir celebrations.

This “no-pay, no-work” policy means that university lecturers will boycott classes until the Federal Government fulfills its financial obligations. Piwuna confirmed that university branches have already begun to adopt this resolution.

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Joining ASUU in condemning the government’s inaction are non-academic staff unions, including the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions (NASU). Mohammed Ibrahim, National President of their Joint Action Committee, expressed frustration over the lack of communication and persistent delays.

“Last month, we had to write a series of letters asking why our salaries were not released. No explanation was given. University workers are simply treated like second-class citizens,” Ibrahim stated, noting that appeals to the Accountant General of the Federation, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Labour have yielded no positive results.

This latest development comes on the heels of a distressing report from ASUU earlier in the year, which indicated the deaths of 84 lecturers between May and August 2024, attributed to economic hardship and unpaid salaries. While President Bola Tinubu had approved a partial waiver of the “no work, no pay” rule for ASUU members’ withheld salaries in October 2023, the current situation suggests a resurgence of the contentious issue of timely and full payment.

The average monthly salary for a lecturer in Nigeria ranges from N245,000 to N702,000, depending on rank and experience, with a professor earning up to N342,442 monthly. However, unions like the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) have also called for a review of these salaries to align with current economic realities, citing proposals from 2009 for professors to earn at least N1.2 million, which were reportedly rejected at the time.

The escalating dispute raises serious concerns about the stability of Nigeria’s tertiary education system and the welfare of its academic and non-academic staff. The outcome of ASUU’s “no-pay, no-work” policy hinges on the Federal Government’s swift and decisive response to address the prolonged salary delays.