Today, on August 27, 2025, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) chapter at the University of Abuja joined a nationwide protest by Lecturers, calling on the federal government to honour long-overdue payments and implement a renegotiated agreement that has remained unfulfilled. What began as a local demonstration has quickly grown in scale, reflecting the deep frustration shared by academic staff across Nigeria.
Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh, Chairman of ASUU, UniAbuja, addressed the crowd with palpable emotion, reminding the government and the public that this protest is not born of disloyalty, but sheer desperation to uphold what is rightfully theirs. “We are here because our dignity and livelihood are being held hostage,” he declared.
The timing is critical. This protest comes on the heels of repeated postponements and unrealised promises, particularly the renegotiated agreement finalised in February 2025, yet still not implemented. The UniAbuja academics—joining their counterparts nationwide—are drawing the line: enough is enough.
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A Decade of Delayed Promises: ASUU’s Long Walk to Now
The roots of today’s unrest can be traced back to an agreement signed in 2009 under a salary structure that, at the time, had promised periodic reviews every three years. Instead, no renegotiation occurred in 2012, and the agreement languished until 2017, when it was finally revived—but only to conclude in February 2025 under a committee led by Elijah Yayale Ahmed. Yet, despite concluding the renegotiations, the federal government has taken no meaningful steps to implement them.
Dr. Ugoh painted a stark picture of growing hardship. He emphasised that ASUU members have not received any form of salary review since 2009. Worse yet, lecturers are still waiting for three and a half months’ withheld salaries, a full year’s arrears stemming from the 25% and 35% wage awards, and more than five years of delayed promotion benefits.
Adding insult to injury, the government has also failed to remit third-party deductions intended for cooperatives and unions—funds that are rightfully theirs. “We have worked, we have earned, now pay us,” Ugoh stated, erasing any doubt that their demands are far from unreasonable.
The Economics of Delay: Loans Without Pay
One of the most stirring moments of the protest was when ASUU responded to recent government proposals for loans to academic staff. To many lecturers, offering loans amid unpaid salaries felt grotesque—like putting a bandage over a gaping wound.
“How do you offer loans to people whose pay is already late, and whose promotional and wage entitlements hang in the balance?” asked Ugoh. His rebuke resonated in the chants and placards of protesters echoing across the UniAbuja campus and beyond.
The implications go beyond personal suffering. ASUU warned that the persistent neglect of lecturers’ welfare is accelerating an ongoing brain drain, weakening the quality of education, and ultimately undermining national development. “No nation develops beyond the strength of its universities. If the government truly wants progress, it must invest in the very institutions that give it legs to stand,” urged the ASUU chairman.
Voices in the Crowd and the Broader National Cry
On the ground, the scene was electric. Lecturers marched, held placards, and sang solidarity songs. Among the signs seen were:
- “Pay Our Salaries, Not Loans”
- “Treat Lecturers with Dignity”
- “Implement the February 2025 Agreement Now”
Their message was clear—these are educators, not debtors, and they will no longer accept loan offers in place of their rightful pay.
This protest at UniAbuja aligns with a broader mobilisation. Fellow ASUU branches in institutions such as UNIUYO, Unilorin, and others have also staged peaceful rallies to demand implementation of the same agreement that has lingered since 2009.
It’s a chorus rising—in unison across university campuses—demanding justice, recognition, and institutional respect.
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