By: Titus Oise, Benin.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Benin zone, has threatened strike action in public Universities across the country if the Federal government fails to implement the agreement reached with the union in 2025.

In a well-attended press conference addressed yesterday by the Zonal coordinator, Benin Zone of ASUU, Prof. Monday Igbafen at the University of Benin, he stated very clearly that they are being pushed back to the trenches if urgent action is not taken by the Federal Government to fully implement agreementthe earlier.

According to Igbafen, “you will recall that the 2025 FGN/ASUU Agreement was formally unveiled on 14th January, 2026, by the Nigerian State. That unveiling marked what we believed would be the end of years of struggle to renegotiate the 2009 agreement and secure lasting industrial harmony in our public universities. At that historic moment, the Nigerian State made solemn promises of full and speedy implementation. Regrettably, we must report that the Nigerian State has reneged on that promise. At our just-concluded National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at Modibbo Adama University, Yola, we reviewed the government’s response. Our conclusion is clear: unless urgent action is taken, we are being pushed back to the trenches.

“Federal university administrators are selectively paying Consolidated Academic Tool Allowances (CATA), Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), and Professorial Allowances. This violates the Agreement, which clearly states that all allowances must be mainstreamed into the Consolidated University Academic Staff Salary Scale as part of monthly salaries for professors. State Governors’ Refusal to Comply, and nearly five months after the Federal Government directed full implementation, many state governors, who serve as Visitors to state universities, have refused to act. This is hypocrisy, as their representatives actively participated in negotiating the Agreement.

On the alleged unresolved Financial Obligations, Igbafen said, “the government remains insensitive to outstanding issues: unpaid arrears of the 25–35% salary award, promotion arrears, unremitted third-party deductions, salary shortfalls from IPPIS errors, and the withheld three and a half months’ salaries from the 2022 strike.

Continuing, the Zonal coordinator of ASUU said, “We condemn the partial and non-implementation of the salary component of the 2025 FGN/ASUU Agreement. This is a recipe for an industrial crisis in our universities. We berate the Edo, Ondo, and Delta State governments for failing to implement the Agreement five months after the Federal Government’s directive. We urge them to comply immediately or face industrial action on their campuses.

“We appeal to patriots and lovers of Nigeria to compel both federal and state governments to fully implement the Agreement and resolve outstanding issues without further delay.

7. We warn that public universities face imminent paralysis if the government continues its old tactics of disrespecting collective bargaining and binding agreements”, Igbafen posited.