The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) chapter, has threatened to embark on an indefinite strike if the State government fails to implement the 2025 ASUU/Federal Government agreement on lecturers’ remuneration by the end of July.
The ESUT-ASSU said the proposed industrial action would commence if the agreement, including arrears from January 2026, are not implemented.
The Nsukka Zonal Coordinator of the ASUU, Prof. Christian Opata, stated this during a press conference titled “End the Lamentation in Enugu State University of Science and Technology,” held on Tuesday at the university campus in Enugu.
The zone comprises Benue State University; Enugu State University of Science and Technology; the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi; Federal University Lokoja; Federal University Wukari; Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo; Kogi State University, Anyigba; and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Opata said ESUT lecturers are currently the least paid among public universities in the country, stressing that the situation is affecting staff morale and the institution’s ability to attract and retain qualified academics.
“We wish to bring to the knowledge of the public that if, by the end of July 2026, the Enugu State Government fails to commence the implementation of the 2025 Agreement, the branch will have no option than to embark on an indefinite, comprehensive and total strike.
“The implementation should also include the arrears dating back to January 2026, as obtains in other universities,” he said.
He further pointed out that the 2025 agreement between ASUU and the Federal Government took effect in January after it was unveiled on January 14, 2026.
According to Opata, the National Universities Commission had communicated the agreement to all state governments, while vice-chancellors also transmitted the document to their respective governments for implementation. He also expressed concern that ESUT remained the only university in the ASUU Nsukka Zone yet to implement the agreement.
He further dismissed claims that inadequate funding was responsible for the delay, insisting that available revenue figures showed the state had the financial capacity to implement the agreement. He also pointed out that other states, including Bauchi and Ogun, had already commenced implementation of the agreement despite receiving lower allocations.
“The logic of paucity of funds will not fly this time around, as reports from both the National Bureau of Statistics and the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee indicate that Enugu State, in the first quarter of 2026, received substantial allocations from the Federation Account.
“If Bauchi and Ogun states that received less compared to Enugu are implementing the agreement, one wonders the reason for the non-implementation in Enugu State. Many other states have commenced full implementation,” he stated.
The zonal coordinator further also alleged that ESUT had yet to fully implement aspects of the 2009 ASUU/Federal Government agreement, including the payment of Earned Academic Allowance. He also stressed that continued failure to honour agreements reached with the union had negatively affected the university’s reputation and staff welfare.
“How many strong academics would like to associate with a university that pays the least in the entire nation? The continued denigration of the state and the university, consequent on low funding and disregard for collectively bargained agreements, is a direct smear on their collective integrity as the first state-owned university in Nigeria,” he asked.
He lamented that although the state government recently constituted a committee to look into the matter, the union had yet to see any concrete steps towards implementing the agreement.
The union appealed to Governor Peter Mbah, members of the university’s Governing Council, traditional rulers, opinion leaders and other stakeholders to intervene and prevent a disruption of academic activities.
(The Whistler)
