Lecturers under the banner of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) staged simultaneous demonstrations across Nigeria on Tuesday, 26 August 2025, disrupting academic activities in universities spanning Lagos, Ondo (Akure), Anambra (Awka), Kwara (Ilorin), Rivers (Port Harcourt), Edo (Benin), Akwa Ibom (Uyo), Oyo (Ibadan), Kogi (Lokoja) and Sokoto.
The protests, which took place two days before ASUU’s scheduled meeting with the Federal Government, were aimed at drawing attention to the union’s grievances: unpaid salaries, the non-implementation of the Yayale Ahmed renegotiation report, and chronic underfunding of public universities.
At the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), chapter chairman Professor Pius Mogaji accused the government of wilfully ignoring the February 2025 report. He warned that if nothing concrete emerges from negotiations, ASUU would have no option but to escalate its industrial action.
In Uyo, academic activity was brought to a standstill as lecturers marched through lecture halls and examination venues. Similarly, at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and University of Ibadan, members condemned the Federal Government’s proposed loan scheme for lecturers, describing it as “an insult” and demanding direct payment of withheld wages.
The University of Ilorin, University of Benin, University of Port Harcourt and Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Awka) also witnessed large turnouts, with lecturers brandishing placards that read “Respect Agreements, Fund Universities” and “Stop Starving Education”.
At Federal University Lokoja, ASUU leaders warned of a potential full-scale strike beginning on Thursday, 28 August, should the government fail to act. In Sokoto State University and Usman Danfodio University, members rejected outright the government’s proposed loan scheme, branding it “a poisoned chalice” for academics.
The demonstrations reflect deepening discontent across Nigeria’s higher education sector. ASUU maintains that repeated dialogue without meaningful implementation of agreements has eroded trust, and insists that this time the Federal Government must move beyond promises to tangible action.
Here’s a clear summary of why ASUU is protesting:
Unpaid salaries – Lecturers demand the release of months of withheld wages.
Unimplemented agreements – The Federal Government has not acted on the Yayale Ahmed renegotiation report (Feb 2025) and other past agreements.
Poor funding of universities – ASUU says chronic underfunding is crippling public universities.
Rejection of loan scheme – The union opposes the proposed government loan initiative for lecturers, calling it exploitative and a diversion from paying salaries directly.
Erosion of trust – ASUU argues that repeated government promises without action have left the academic sector in crisis.
In short: ASUU is protesting against withheld pay, broken agreements, inadequate funding, and policies they see as undermining lecturers’ welfare and university quality.
As both parties prepare for Thursday’s meeting, students, parents and the wider public watch anxiously, aware that the outcome could determine whether universities remain open—or grind to a halt once again.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.
