Crisis Looms Over Higher Education: ESUT and Over 100 Universities Face Closure as ASUU Issues Strike "Without Notice" Warning

Tertiary education in Nigeria stands on the precipice of another widespread shutdown. Following an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) session at the Festus Iyayi National Secretariat, University of Abuja, ASUU President Prof. Christopher Piwuna announced that the union may reactivate its suspended nationwide strike "without any further notice" if government bodies fail to resolve critical welfare issues.  

​While certain state administrations—such as Abia, Bauchi, and Ekiti—have made visible progress in implementing agreed welfare terms, several state and federal authorities continue to fall behind. The threat places academic activities at institutions like ESUT and dozens of federal and state universities under immediate risk. 

 The core drivers pushing lecturers toward industrial action involve persistent administrative and financial breakdowns:

​Incomplete Implementation of December 2025 Terms: After years of negotiations, the framework agreed upon in late 2025 remains unfulfilled across numerous state and federal public universities. Union leadership insists that verbal commitments will no longer prevent industrial action.  

​Outstanding Salary Arrears: While the present administration released four months of salaries previously withheld under the Buhari era, 3.5 months of earned wages remain unpaid, leaving academic staff under intense financial pressure amid high living costs.  

​Unremitted Billions in Salary Deductions: Billions of Naira deducted from lecturers' monthly salaries for pensions, cooperative societies, and union dues have not been remitted to their respective destinations for months, causing severe hardship for staff.  

​Disruption to Academic Progress: Students across Enugu State and the nation face the immediate prospect of prolonged academic disruption, stalled graduations, and repeated delays to university calendars.  

​Both state and federal authorities must take swift, transparent steps to honor signed agreements, pay outstanding arrears, and secure lasting peace within Nigeria's public university system.