Nigeria’s public universities are facing fresh disruptions as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) initiates a nationwide teaching suspension due to continued salary delays.
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, revealed that the union has adopted a “no pay, no work” directive, citing financial hardship and what he described as government indifference following the exit of university workers from the IPPIS payment system.
“Our members are not receiving salaries like other public servants,” Piwuna said. “We’re well into June and no payments have been made. With the cost of living so high, it’s simply unbearable.”
The union leader suggested that the delayed payments may be a form of retaliation for ASUU’s long-standing resistance to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), which it previously criticised for undermining university autonomy.
“We’ve chosen to stay off classes until salaries are paid. It’s not a strike, it’s the reality that you can’t work without pay,” Piwuna added, noting that local branches have begun implementing the policy.
The disruption comes just weeks after the federal government formally removed university staff from IPPIS, a move welcomed by academic unions but apparently not matched with improved payment systems.