INTRO: ASUU, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, is the umbrella trade union that covers all registered academic staff members in all the Public Federal and State Universities in the country. It was formed in 1978 as the successor to the Nigerian Association of University Teachers established in 1965, to protect academic freedom and improve working conditions. A strike, in industrial relations terms, is “any form of action by employees which is aimed at forcing the management or employers to come to terms with the demands of the employees” and “basically targeted at mounting pressure on the government or employers to change some policies as well as improve the welfare of workers” (Amadi & Precious, 2015, as cited in Akah, 2023). It is “an outright stoppage of work by all academic staff of public universities in the country” (Akah, 2023).
When these two concepts combine, the phrase, reasons for ASUU strike in Nigeria refers to the structural, financial, and political grievances that compel university lecturers to withdraw their services. Understanding the reasons for ASUU strike in Nigeria requires a historical lens. While Offem, Anashie, and Aniah (2018) trace the history of trade disputes in tertiary institutions to 20th May, 1980, “what seemed to be the first ASUU strike in Nigeria was observed in 1988 with the major reason of pursuing fair wages and University autonomy” (Egbegi & Iheriohanma, 2018, as cited in Ignatius, Ojukwu, Mgbemena, & Nwankwo, 2024). Since then, “over a span of 26 years, ASUU has embarked on strike actions no fewer than 16 times, often citing underfunding, poor infrastructure, and unmet agreements with the federal government” (Ogwo, 2025). The purpose of these perennial interruptions is mostly to get the government to better fund the public university system so as to create the enabling environment.
The Causes of and Reasons for ASUU Strike in Nigeria are:
1. Poor Funding and Inadequate Budgetary Allocation to Education: The most consistent of the reasons for ASUU strike in Nigeria is chronic underfunding. Research shows that poor budgetary allocation to the education sector is the prime cause of the strike. Akah (2023) argues that “the percentage allocation to education in Nigeria is inadequate” and that “several factors have bedeviled the smooth operation of universities in Nigeria.” The Federal Government’s failure to meet UNESCO’s 15-20% benchmark means universities lack laboratories, libraries, and lecture theatres. Stakeholders note that “several members of ASUU can’t still access funds for research and do not have exchange programmes with overseas institutions” and “infrastructure in universities haven’t significantly improved, with several schools lacking teaching equipment” (Ogwo, 2025). This funding gap directly explains the core reasons for ASUU strike in Nigeria persists despite repeated Memoranda of Understanding.
2. Non-Implementation of Agreements (2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement and MoUs): A second critical driver among the reasons for ASUU strike in Nigeria is the government’s failure to honour collectively bargained agreements. The frequent strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in Nigeria can be attributed to a multitude of issues between the government and ASUU. For insatance, ASUU declared a “total, indefinite and comprehensive strike on 4th December 2011 in order to prevail on government to sincerely and judiciously implement the 2009 Agreement it freely entered into” (Channels Television, 2013, July 3). The ranking of causes shows failure of the federal government to honor their long-term agreement as the second prime factor. Thus, broken promises are central to the reasons for ASUU strike in Nigeria.
3. Poor Remuneration, Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), and Welfare Packages: Poor welfare is a human-centered explanation for the reasons for ASUU strike in Nigeria. Surveys confirm respondents agreed that “poor remuneration of lecturers, the government's failure to pay earned academic allowance to lecturers” were causes of strike (Ogbomah & Moses, 2024). Nigerian professors remain among lowest paid in Africa (Olawunmi, 2022). The failure to pay EAA and to implement the 2014 Pension Reform Act provisions are listed among the reasons that were not unconnected to adequate funding, provision of sufficient teaching and learning facilities and equipment, and University autonomy. When welfare is eroded, lecturers describe their Quality of Work-Life (QWL) “being placed in jeopardy” (Monogbe & Monogbe, 2019, as cited in Akinwale, 2023), which is a strong factor of the reasons for ASUU strike in Nigeria.
4. Erosion of University Autonomy and Academic Freedom: University autonomy is foundational to the reasons for ASUU strike in Nigeria. Early strikes in the 1980s were caused according to National Association of Universities Teachers (NAUT) 1978 by: erosion of university autonomy and academic freedom. This concern persists. High handedness, arbitrariness and corruption, on the part of university administration, are some of the causes of agitation in the system. ASUU was proscribed on 7th August, 1988 after organizing a national strike to obtain fair wages and University Autonomy. Recent attempts to scrap “irrelevant” courses and impose curricula from Abuja have led ASUU to threaten strike (Hammangabdo, 2026, May 11). Protecting the university as “the brain box of the nation” is therefore one of the enduring reasons for ASUU strike in Nigeria (Aidelunuoghene, 2014, as cited in Akah, 2023).
5. Revitalization Needs and Decaying Infrastructure: The physical decay of campuses is another tangible reasons for ASUU strike in Nigeria. As a matter of fact, revitalization of universities ranks high among causes. ASUU’s 2009 agreement demanded N1.3 trillion for revitalization, much of which remains unreleased. The result is that “no Nigerian university was in the top 10 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) 2025 ranking” and “None of Nigeria’s universities was in the top 20” in Africa (Ogwo, 2025). Students experience disruption affects the followings, curriculum implementation, quality of lesson delivery, period of graduation, hampered students' performance and quality of education in the country. The pursuit of global standards is a legitimate reason for ASUU strike in Nigeria.
6. IPPIS, UTAS, and Contested Payment Platforms: Payment platforms have become modern reasons for ASUU strike in Nigeria. In 2020, Nigeria witnessed “a prolonged nine-month strike, which was the longest in ASUU’s history. It was caused by disagreements with the federal government over university funding and the implementation of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), which the union felt undermined university autonomy” (Ogwo, 2025). Respondents confirmed “the imposition of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) in Federal Universities” was a cause (Akinwale, 2023). ASUU counter-proposed the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as an alternative, leading to prolonged standoff. In 2026, ASUU UNILAG announced “an indefinite strike… caused by an ‘amputated’ salaries paid by the university management” (Dada, 2026, March 10), showing how salary administration remains among the reasons for ASUU strike in Nigeria.
7. Poor Governance, Politicization, and Corruption in University Administration: Internal governance failures also feature in the reasons for ASUU strike in Nigeria. There is the issue of hijacking of administrative roles of university system, corruption and platform of payment, autonomy as causes. Equally, poor government funding, and weak institutional autonomy drive ASUU strikes, and this is exacerbated by government neglect since 1986. The Carnegie-like pattern at federal universities includes the politicization of the ASUU strike and misplacement of priorities by the government or disregard for the educational sector. When councils and vice-chancellors are appointed politically, staff see strike as the only check.
8. Brain Drain, Quality of Work-Life, and Demotivation: The exodus of academics is both consequence and cause, forming cyclical reasons for ASUU strike in Nigeria. “Poor QWL amongst academic lecturers has become a recurring phenomenon… which has led to incessant strike action of the academic staff union of universities (ASUU) from 1988 to date” (Monogbe & Monogbe, 2019). The “trajectory of brain-drain and quality of work-life” shows that “poor quality of teaching, demotivation to work effectively and poor student performance” fuel strikes (Akinwale, 2023). This feedback loop is a human resource dimension of the reasons for ASUU strike in Nigeria.
Conclusion
In summary, the reasons for ASUU strike in Nigeria are not singular but systemic: underfunding, non-implementation of agreements, poor welfare, erosion of autonomy, decaying infrastructure, contested payment systems, politicization, and deteriorating work conditions. As Akah (2023) recommends, government “should invest more resources for the development of infrastructures in universities, as well as pay all outstanding debts owed to ASUU members.” The Ogwo (2025) timeline shows that since 1999, strikes lasted 150 days in 1999, 180 days in 2003, 120 days in 2009, 157 days in 2010, 150 days in 2013, nine months in 2020, and eight months in 2022, leaving a four-year course to drag into six years. Inquiry into the reasons for ASUU strike in Nigeria is therefore essential not just for labour relations, but for rescuing university education, which “promotes the swift industrialization of economies by making available managerial, technical, and professionally skilled human resources” (Akah, 2023).
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