From Umar Danladi Ado, Sokoto
The Sokoto Zonal Chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which covers 10 universities across the North-West, has issued a strong warning over what it described as the poor and selective implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU Agreement.
The union cautioned that the continued neglect of lecturers’ welfare and unresolved governance issues could plunge Nigerian universities into another round of industrial unrest.
ASUU, led by its Zonal Coordinator, Comrade Abubakar Sabo, accused both the federal and state governments of failing to fully implement key provisions of the agreement unveiled in January 2026, thereby creating tension across public tertiary institutions.
Speaking at a press briefing in Sokoto, Sabo said the government’s inability to properly integrate the agreement into national fiscal and administrative frameworks had resulted in delays, inconsistencies, and selective compliance by some university authorities.
“The Sokoto Zone is seriously alarmed that several federal and state-owned universities have yet to implement vital components of the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement,” he stated.
According to the union, unresolved issues include the non-payment of academic and professorial allowances, earned academic allowances, promotion arrears, salary shortfalls, annual increments, and unremitted third-party deductions affecting lecturers in institutions across the zone.
ASUU urged governments at all levels to immediately honour all aspects of the agreement to preserve industrial harmony and ensure stability in the nation’s university system.
“We call on the Federal and State Governments to faithfully implement all components of the agreement in the interest of sustainable development and peace within Nigerian universities,” Sabo added.
The union also decried lingering welfare concerns affecting academics nationwide, including outstanding 25–35 per cent salary award arrears, withheld salaries linked to the 2022 ASUU strike, delayed pension payments, and the non-harmonisation of pensions for retired university workers.
ASUU further highlighted challenges facing state-owned universities in the Sokoto Zone, especially the non-implementation of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance and unpaid earned academic allowances for lecturers engaged in parallel and special academic programmes.
The union specifically cited alleged cases involving Sokoto State University and Shehu Shagari University of Education, where lecturers handling multiple academic sessions were reportedly yet to receive their corresponding entitlements.
