The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a warning of impending strike action if the Bola Tinubu administration fails to disburse the withheld salaries of public university lecturers within two weeks.

ASUU President Emmanuel Osodeke expressed dissatisfaction with the Federal Government's decision to pay lecturers for only four out of the seven-and-a-half months of withheld salaries from 2022. Osodeke argued that universities across Nigeria have already compensated for the missed work during the 2022 strike period and should receive full payment accordingly. He emphasized that members of ASUU have made significant sacrifices by forgoing leave and working continuously to cover the missed workload during the strike.

The ultimatum given to the government commenced on May 13, 2024, with ASUU demanding full payment for the entire period of the industrial action in 2022. In 2022, academic and non-academic unions in Nigeria embarked on an eight-month strike to address various demands, including improved welfare conditions. While ASUU received payment for four months of withheld salaries, other unions like SSANU and NASU were not compensated at all.

Osodeke stressed that ASUU members deserve full payment for the entirety of the strike period and that the partial payment made by the Tinubu administration does not adequately address their grievances.