The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Jos Chapter, has declared an indefinite strike, effective Wednesday, April 8. This decision was made in response to the persistent non-payment of its members' salaries and the exclusion of earned academic allowances in previous salary disbursements. Professor Jurbe Molwus, the chapter Chairperson, issued a notice confirming that the strike aligns with both the union's National Executive Council (NEC) resolution and the chapter's congress resolution, and will persist until all outstanding salaries are settled.

Investigations by the union point to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation as the source of the payment delay, as the university bursary had already completed its necessary procedures. Members have been requested to abstain from all academic activities, including lectures, examinations, and statutory meetings, given that their March 2026 salaries remain unpaid despite their patience.

This strike action by the University of Jos chapter is not an isolated incident. Since July 2025, ASUU has mandated its chapters to initiate strikes whenever salaries are delayed. The University of Lagos Chapter previously undertook a similar strike due to unexplained cuts in January and February salaries and the non-payment of earned academic allowances. This particular strike was later suspended following intervention from the union's national executive council.

Nationally, ASUU's Chairperson, Professor Chris Piwuna, expressed deep concern two weeks prior about the federal government's non-implementation of crucial components of the union's agreement, particularly the payment of earned academic allowances. The delay in implementation has often been attributed to the hold-up in passing the national budget. While the Nigerian government has repeatedly assured the public that academics will no longer resort to industrial action due to its commitment to the agreement, ASUU maintains that full implementation has not occurred, leading to lecturers receiving what they describe as 'mutilated salaries'.

Central to these disputes is the ASUU-FG 2025 agreement. In October, a sixth government-constituted committee successfully completed the renegotiation and harmonization of the long-standing 2009 agreement. This new accord stipulated a 40 percent salary increase for academics and committed to the establishment of a National Research Council (NRC), which would receive statutory funding amounting to at least one percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Furthermore, the 2025 agreement included a provision for professors to receive a pension equivalent to their annual salary upon reaching 70 years of age. It also reaffirmed the government's commitment to enhancing university autonomy and academic freedom, alongside improving funding for universities. This enhanced funding is specifically designated for critical areas such as research, libraries, laboratories, equipment, and staff development. Financial provisions also detailed a professorial cadre allowance of N1.7 million annually for full professors and N840,000 annually for academics holding the rank of Reader.