The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nasarawa State University, Keffi Chapter, has embarked on an indefinite strike over the alleged failure of the university authorities and the Nasarawa State Government to implement provisions of the 2025 Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN)/ASUU agreement.
The ASUU Chapter Chairman, Dr. Zubairu Loko, disclosed this during an interview with Savanna Express Magazine and Online at the union’s secretariat in Nasarawa State University, Keffi.
According to Dr. Loko, the industrial action became necessary following the alleged non-implementation of the agreement by the university, despite similar agreements reportedly being implemented by other federal and state universities across the country.
He questioned why Nasarawa State University had allegedly failed to comply with the agreement, stressing that the welfare of the university’s nearly 700 academic staff should be treated as a priority.
The ASUU chairman said the chapter’s executive members had made several attempts to resolve the matter through dialogue. He disclosed that letters were written to the Visitor of the University, His Excellency Governor Abdullahi A. Sule, the Commissioner for Education and the Deputy Governor, but, according to him, their appeals did not receive the desired response.
Dr. Loko expressed disappointment over what he described as the government’s failure to adequately address the welfare concerns of academic staff, warning that industrial action had become necessary to draw attention to the outstanding issues.
He identified the major areas of contention as salary arrears and the implementation of salary increments, including the 25–30 per cent salary increase. He stated that the outstanding obligations to academic staff run into billions of naira, while arrears on some components were estimated at about N328 million.
Commenting on the university’s reported financial performance in 2025, Dr. Loko said the institution was believed to have generated approximately N7 billion in profit. He, however, acknowledged that the university authority had released about N1 billion towards settling outstanding arrears owed to lecturers, but maintained that the amount was insufficient to clear the accumulated obligations.
The ASUU chairman also lamented the hardship being experienced by academic staff and their families as a result of the outstanding payments. He said some lecturers had faced severe financial difficulties, particularly families who had lost loved ones and were allegedly left struggling to cope with the consequences.
Dr. Loko further alleged that many of the major projects executed and commissioned at Nasarawa State University were funded through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and Needs Assessment interventions, which he described as products of ASUU’s long-standing advocacy for improved funding of universities.
He expressed disappointment that, in his assessment, the Nasarawa State Government had not constructed a major academic block at the institution despite being its proprietor.
The ASUU chapter chairman appealed for urgent intervention by the relevant authorities, stressing that resolving the outstanding issues through meaningful dialogue would be in the best interest of the university, its staff and students.