From Bashir Rabe Mani, Sokoto
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Sokoto Zone has threatened to down tools across three state-owned universities if their respective governments fail to urgently implement outstanding welfare demands and the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement.
Speaking at a press conference in Sokoto, the Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Abubakar Sabo, expressed deep concern over the lingering impasse in the Nigerian university system.
While he commended the Sokoto State Government for its impartial implementation of the agreement across its two state institutions, he warned that bureaucratic delays in neighboring states are driving the universities toward an inevitable industrial crisis.
The union’s ultimatum stems from resolutions reached during ASUU’s Emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on June 21, 2026, at the University of Abuja.
Despite the public presentation of the FGN-ASUU Agreement in January 2026, Prof. Sabo noted a distinct lack of political will from several state governments to implement the negotiated salary components.
These, he said include mainstreaming the Consolidated Academic Tool Allowances (CATA), Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), and Professorial Allowances into monthly salaries.
He noted that milestones already achieved by states like Oyo, Ekiti, Osun, Benue, and Sokoto.
The specific grievances crippling the three affected universities include; Abdullahi Fodiyo University of Science and Technology, Aliero (AFUSTA), Kebbi State – Accumulated arrears for Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) dating back to 2014, unpaid promotion arrears and a total failure to implement automatic annual salary increments, leading to massive backlogs.
On Umaru Musa Yar’adua University (UMYUK) – Katsina State- pending Adjustments, while acknowledging Governor Malam Dikko Umaru Radda’s consistent payment of inherited EAA, the union is demanding 36 months of arrears for the 25% and 35% salary review, alongside minimum wage consequential adjustments.
Our correspondent reports that though the government has shown a willingness to engage in dialogue, ASUU urges the state to fast-track discussions to avert an imminent shutdown.
Similarly , on Zamfara State University, Talata Mafara (ZAMSUT), Zamfara State, the union said there unpaid promotion arrears stretching from January 2025 to date, and continuous failure to remit third-party deductions from members’ salaries.
Furthermore, the ASUU Sokoto Zone fiercely rejected several recent government policy pronouncements, citing a lack of empirical backing and stakeholder consultation.
The union opposes the sudden reversal of the mother-tongue policy in early childhood education.
ASUU strongly frowned upon the proposed establishment of foreign-affiliated universities, warning it will weaken and undermine local public institutions.
The union rejects the alleged forced enrollment of academics into the Nigeria Education Repository Databank (NERD) without proper consultation.
However , it noted that prolonged absence of Governing Councils in several state universities, which continues to paralyze merit-based appointments, transparency, and effective leadership.
Prof. Sabo also lamented the worsening insecurity plaguing Northern Nigeria, highlighting that banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping have created an atmosphere of constant fear, disrupting academic calendars and endangering the lives of staff and students. He called on the government to prioritize national security and tackle the root causes of crime—namely poverty and unemployment.
“While ASUU remains committed to dialogue and constructive engagement, the union will not fold its arms while agreements are ignored and the university system is pushed toward collapse.
“We appeal to parents, students, and civic organizations to support our struggle for a well-funded, globally competitive public university system,” he stated.
