The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced the implementation of a no-pay-no-work policy in response to the persistent delay in salary payments by the Federal Government.
ASUU’s National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, disclosed this development during an interview in Abuja on Friday.
He accused the government of deliberately frustrating lecturers since their exit from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
The Federal Government had earlier removed academic and non-academic university staff from the controversial IPPIS platform, a system repeatedly criticized by ASUU and other academic unions for inefficiencies.
“Since we stopped using IPPIS, our salaries have been coming in late,” Piwuna said. “Unlike other workers, lecturers are now being paid deep into the new month—sometimes 10 days in. With the current economic hardship, this delay is unbearable.”
He added that the delay had disrupted plans for the upcoming Sallah celebrations, noting that many lecturers are unable to meet basic needs. “We want to teach, but we can’t continue without being paid.
Therefore, we’ve resolved to enforce a no-pay-no-work stance,” he stated.
According to Piwuna, branches across the country have started adopting the policy, meaning lecturers will boycott classes until their salaries are paid.
Similarly, non-academic staff unions have expressed frustration over the continued delays. Mohammed Ibrahim, National President of the Joint Action Committee representing the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions (NASU), criticized the government’s silence.
“Last month, we sent multiple letters seeking clarity on salary payments, but received no response,” Ibrahim said. “We’ve written to the Accountant General and copied the Ministers of Education and Labour.
Although the Labour Ministry acknowledged our complaint, the situation remains unchanged.”
He lamented that university staff are being treated as second-class citizens, with no clear resolution in sight.