The Federal Government has released the June 2025 salaries of lecturers and other tertiary institution workers, prompting the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to call off its strike.
Recall that ASUU directed all its branches nationwide to suspend their services due to the delay in the payment of June 2025 salaries.
The ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, in an interview with newsmen on Tuesday, said the decision was in line with the union’s “No Pay, No Work” resolution.
Branches of the union across various federal universities have written to their members to resume work following the salary payment.
The strike was triggered by a consistent delay in salary payments, which was attributed to the migration of academics from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) platform to the Government Integrated Financial Management System(GIFMIS) platform.
However, with the release of salaries, the union has directed its members to return to work.
Memos from ASUU chapters at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Federal University Kashere and University of Jos, confirmed the resumption of work following the payment of salaries.
This is after the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had insisted that the union did not go on strike as reported in the media.
Alausa said the Federal Government has been working to ensure industrial harmony in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
Alausa, in a statement signed by the minister’s Director, Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade on Tuesday, said public tertiary institutions have remained open and stable for the past two years, a feat that has not been achieved in several decades.
The minister reassured that the welfare of both academic and non-academic staff remains a top priority for the Federal Government, in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for Human Capital Development.
“It is not by coincidence that Nigerian Public Tertiary Institutions have remained open and stable for the past two years, something that has not happened in several decades,” the Honourable Minister remarked.
“This is a reflection of our government’s unwavering commitment to maintaining cordial relationships with all stakeholders in the education sector. We are meeting demands in phases, and we are doing so respectfully and consistently,” he said.
He emphasised that the government will continue to improve working conditions and protect the academic calendar.
Alausa urged the public to disregard any misinformation suggesting that ASUU is on strike, reiterating that the current stability in the university system is a joint achievement that must be preserved.
He added that the Federal Government will continue to work closely with all unions in the education sector to ensure uninterrupted education for students.
“Our children are the heartbeat of the nation, and their uninterrupted education is non-negotiable. The Federal Government will continue to work closely with all unions in the education sector to ensure that the gates of our institutions remain open,” he added.
