BY: Oluwaseye Ogunsanya
Claim:
Multiple X users claim that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is currently on strike across all federal universities in Nigeria, alleging that the development is being hidden by President Bola Tinubu and the media.
“ASUU is on strike but they are hiding the news. All the Federal Universities are currently striking, but Tinubu and compromised media are covering the headline!!! Nigerians wake up!!!” One user wrote.
Verdict:
Misleading.
Full Text:
The claim comes amid renewed tensions between ASUU and the Federal Government over the implementation of the December 2025 agreement, outstanding salary payments and other welfare-related issues.
On September 11, 2026, ASUU warned that it could reactivate its suspended nationwide strike if outstanding issues were not addressed.
The union’s position was contained in a statement sent to PUNCH in the early hours of Friday by its President, Christopher Piwuna, after an emergency meeting of its National Executive Council held at the University of Abuja.
However, the union did not announce that a nationwide strike had commenced at that time.
Nevertheless, this development has coincided with strike actions declared by ASUU branches at some universities.
Verification:
To verify the claim, FactCheckAfrica reviewed recent statements from ASUU and reports on industrial action by university branches.
On September 11, ASUU President Christopher Piwuna said the union may activate its suspended nationwide strike if the Federal Government and state governments failed to address outstanding issues.
“Unless immediate and concrete steps are taken to FULLY and COMPREHENSIVELY address issues bordering the welfare and well-being of Nigerian academics, ASUU-NEC will not accept any blame for calling out its members on a nationwide strike action within the shortest time possible,” the union warned.
This indicates that a nationwide strike had been threatened, rather than already being in force across all universities.
However, some individual ASUU branches across different states have embarked on industrial action.
The ASUU branch at the University of Port Harcourt embarked on an indefinite internal strike over the university management’s failure to fully implement agreed salary components.
According to Tribune, the industrial action, which has the full backing of ASUU’s national body, officially commenced on September 16, following the expiration of a midnight deadline on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
Similarly, ASUU declared an indefinite strike across Lagos State-owned universities, including Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State University of Education (LASUED) and Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH). The union’s Joint Campus Group covering the three institutions announced the action after a 14-day ultimatum issued to the Lagos State Government expired without resolution.
ASUU said its subsequent warnings and deadlines also failed to produce meaningful dialogue with the government. The union is demanding the domestication and implementation of applicable provisions of the December 2025 agreement reached with the Federal Government, including the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) and welfare provisions for serving and retired academic staff.
The union said the strike was supported by its national leadership and was not directed at the university managements. It stated that the action would continue until the Lagos State Government engages with the union and signs, domesticates and fully implements the relevant provisions of the agreement.
At the University of Benin, ASUU members also embarked on an indefinite strike over salary and allowance-related issues. However, the branch suspended the action following a commitment by the university management to pay the outstanding Council component of the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA).
The decision was reached at a congress meeting after management pledged to pay the outstanding EAA for June, July and August 2026 by Friday, September 18. According to a resolution signed by the branch chairman, Dr Enaruna Edosa, all other entitlements had been paid, with only the Council component of the EAA for the three months outstanding.
“Consequent upon the fact that the University Administration has promised to pay the Council component of EAA for the months of June, July and August, 2026, Congress resolved to suspend the action of withdrawal of service and directed its members to resume their services to the University,” the resolution stated.
In Ondo State, lecturers at three state-owned universities, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa (OAUSTECH), and the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo (UNIMED), have also been on indefinite strike since July 2026. The action followed disputes over unpaid salaries and the implementation of the 2025 FGN/ASUU agreement.
The prolonged strike in Ondo State has also led student groups to demand government intervention. Reports indicate that student leaders issued a 14-day ultimatum to the state government in September over the continued closure of the universities.
These developments show that industrial actions are occurring in some universities, but they do not establish that all federal universities are currently on strike.
Also, the claim that the development is being deliberately hidden by the media is also not supported by the evidence reviewed. Recent reports from multiple Nigerian news organisations have openly reported ASUU’s strike threats and the industrial actions by individual university branches.
Conclusion:
FactCheckAfrica found that ASUU has not commenced a nationwide strike across all federal universities. While some university branches are currently on strike, the union’s national body has only threatened to reactivate its suspended nationwide action. Therefore, the claim that all federal universities are currently on strike is false.
