“By the end of July” — ASUU clarifies nationwide strike yet to begin, shares next step
ASUU President Dr. Chris Piwuna warns of looming nationwide strike over unpaid salaries
By Zhunurain Lukman Muritadho
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a stern warning to the federal government over persistent delays in salary payments, threatening to embark on a nationwide strike if the situation continues.
In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, ASUU National President, Dr. Chris Piwuna, clarified that the union has not declared an indefinite strike nationwide as suggested.
However, he noted that members in branches where June salaries remain unpaid have been instructed to suspend work in line with the union’s “No Pay, No Work” policy.
“This is not an indefinite strike. We have told our members to go by the ‘no pay, no work’ policy. If salaries are not paid by the end of July, we will stop work again. It’s that simple,” Dr. Piwuna said.
The directive applies only to universities whose academic staff have not received their June remuneration. Dr. Piwuna explained that this selective suspension of work is a response to the federal government’s continued failure to meet its financial obligations under the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) salary platform.
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He confirmed that universities such as the University of Abuja and the University of Jos have resumed full academic activities following the payment of outstanding salaries.
“Those who commenced the strike and whose salaries have now been paid are back to work. I can confirm to you that the University of Jos is back. Also, UniAbuja is not on strike because their salaries were paid yesterday. But those still being owed for June are not at work,” he stated.
Dr. Piwuna reiterated that ASUU is prepared to escalate the action should July salaries remain unpaid by the end of the month.
The union’s warning highlights mounting frustrations within the academic community over repeated salary irregularities and delays, which lecturers argue undermine both their professional duties and personal well-being.
What is GIFMIS?
The Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) is a technology-based financial management platform introduced by the Nigerian government to enhance transparency, accountability, and efficiency in public finance.
It is designed to automate the process of budget preparation, execution, and reporting for all ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), including salary payments to public sector workers.
Why It Matters in ASUU’s Case
Under GIFMIS, salary payments are centralized and made directly from the Treasury Single Account (TSA), which reduces human interference and curbs corruption.
However, this centralized approach has also introduced bureaucratic delays and glitches, often leading to irregular or delayed payments — especially when universities face technical issues or are newly migrated onto the platform.
ASUU has repeatedly criticized GIFMIS for being inefficient, unresponsive to the peculiarities of academic institutions, and prone to errors such as omitted payments, wrong calculations, or delayed processing.
GIFMIS replaced the controversial IPPIS (Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System), which ASUU strongly opposed, claiming it violated university autonomy.
While GIFMIS was introduced as a more flexible alternative, it still falls short of meeting ASUU’s demand for a university-specific salary system.
