Fresh ASUU Strike Threats in 2026 Despite the Federal Government's Deal

Why UNIJOS lecturers walked out

ASUU's University of Jos chapter declared a total and indefinite strike on April 8, 2026, over unpaid March salaries and the non-payment of the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), according to Premium Times . Branch chairperson Jurbe Molwus directed all members to stay away from lectures, examinations and statutory meetings until the university resolved the payment.

The union said the university's bursary department had completed its part of the payment process, and placed the delay with the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, the government office that releases funds into the university payroll system.

How this connects to the national agreement

The Federal Government and ASUU signed a renegotiated national agreement in January 2026 that included a 40% allowance increase and a new tools allowance, meant to settle recurring pay disputes across the university system. The UNIJOS strike shows that signing a national agreement does not guarantee smooth payment at every campus.

ASUU National President Chris Piwuna pointed to "non-implementation of some components" of the agreement, including EAA payments, and attributed the gap to delays in budget passage rather than a breakdown of the deal itself.

Not an isolated case

UNIJOS was not the first branch to walk out over payment gaps in 2026. The University of Lagos chapter had declared a similar strike weeks earlier over unexplained cuts to January and February salaries and unpaid earned academic allowances. That strike ended after national ASUU leadership intervened, without a full resolution of every underlying complaint from members.

ASUU had already signaled, from as early as mid 2025, that individual branches would call their own strikes whenever their university missed a salary payment, instead of waiting for a coordinated national action. The UNIJOS and Lagos disputes both follow that pattern, and other branches facing payment delays are likely to follow the same route.

What it means for students

An indefinite strike halts lectures, exams and any academic activity requiring lecturer participation, which pushes back the semester calendar for every student registered at the affected university. Students at UNIJOS face an uncertain resumption date until the university clears the March salary arrears and the union confirms the EAA payment reached members.

For students elsewhere, the pattern is a signal to track their own university's payment record with the Accountant General's office rather than assume the national FG-ASUU agreement alone protects their semester from disruption.