The Academic Staff Union of Universities has threatened to resume its suspended nationwide strike if the federal government and state governments fail to urgently address outstanding issues affecting university lecturers.

ASUU said it could reactivate the strike “without any further notice” over the incomplete implementation of the December 2025 agreement, payment of the remaining 3.5 months of withheld salaries and non-remittance of billions of naira deducted from lecturers’ salaries.

The union’s position was contained in a statement sent to our correspondent 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.

ASUU said the December 2025 agreement followed more than eight years of negotiations and struggles but had not been fully implemented by the Federal Government and several state governments.

“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.

It commended Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, and the governments of Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Benue, Yobe, Adamawa, Kebbi, Katsina and Borno for commencing implementation of the agreement.

The union said Kano, Edo, Plateau, Taraba, Gombe and Bayelsa had also pledged to commence implementation in September or October, while warning other states to act before their universities were plunged into an “industrial crisis of monumental proportions.”

On withheld salaries, ASUU acknowledged that the Tinubu administration had paid four of the 7.5 months withheld during the Buhari administration but demanded the immediate release of the outstanding 3.5 months.

“We have consistently acknowledged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for paying four (4) out of the withheld salaries. However, leaving out the unpaid balance does not give his government the full credit of a labour-friendly administration,” it said.

ASUU also alleged that pension contributions, cooperative deductions and union check-off dues running into billions of naira had remained unremitted for several months.

The union warned that the combination of unpaid salaries, unremitted deductions and poor implementation of the agreement was threatening industrial peace in the universities.

“In no mistaken terms, ASUU posits that the non- or haphazard implementation of the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement by federal and state governments is a recipe for industrial crisis in Nigeria’s public universities,” it stated.

It urged the Federal Government and state governments to act quickly, insisting that it would not accept responsibility if the suspended strike was reactivated.

“ASUU-NEC resolved to notify all concerned that the Union may activate its suspended strike action without any further notice if the critical issues raised in this release are not speedily addressed,” the union said.

Source: punchng.com

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Proprietors of private primary and secondary schools have defended increases of up to 30 per cent in school fees ahead of the resumption of schools for the 2026/2027 academic session on Monday.

The school owners attributed the increase to rising operational costs, including fuel, transportation, rent, infrastructure, textbooks and teachers’ salaries.

The development comes as parents across Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states intensify preparations for the new academic session, with the state governments having fixed September 14 for resumption.

Some schools have increased tuition by between 10 and 30 per cent, while others have raised ancillary charges, including fees for textbooks, uniforms and transportation, in a bid to cushion the impact of rising operating expenses.

The proprietors insist that the latest fee increases are necessary to keep their schools running and retain qualified teachers.

A proprietor in Magboro, Ogun State, Bola, said his school increased its fees by about 20 per cent, largely because of the rising cost of transporting pupils and fluctuations in fuel prices.

He said schools were also under pressure to retain teachers, many of whom were demanding better remuneration.

“Teachers are looking for better pay. Some schools that don’t pay well may resume and find their teachers gone. Schools that cannot increase teachers’ salaries are closing down,” he said.

Bola added that his school was currently training its teachers ahead of the new session, saying the cost of retaining qualified personnel had become a major concern for proprietors.

Isiaka, who heads an association of private school owners in Ogun State, said schools in his area increased tuition by about 15 per cent.

He attributed the increase to the rising cost of petrol, teachers’ salaries, infrastructure upgrades and procurement, as well as rent for schools operating from leased premises.

He said textbook prices had also risen by about 10 per cent.

According to him, however, the increase in private school fees has not triggered a significant movement of pupils from private to public schools.

In Lagos, some proprietors said they had been forced to make steeper adjustments as operating costs continued to rise.

Aliyu, a school owner in the Satellite area of Lagos, said tuition in his area had increased by between 20 and 30 per cent.

He cited higher expenditure on fuel, transportation, rent and other operational needs, noting that his annual rent had risen from N4m to N9m.

“My rent was increased from N4m to N9m, and I have been told that it will be increased every year. Teachers are asking for double their salaries, and teachers are scarce,” he said.

Aliyu said proprietors were trying to keep tuition increases within manageable limits by adjusting ancillary charges.

“What we do is increase those ancillary charges while making minimal increases in school fees. We increase the cost of textbooks, uniforms and other fees to break even,” he explained.

Another proprietor, Ikenna, who operates a school in Surulere, Lagos, said his school increased fees by about 20 per cent to reflect the cost of facilities and services being provided to pupils.

He said the school spent N3m on interactive boards, adding that the investment also brought additional costs for electricity and staff to manage the facilities.

Ikenna said the rising cost of living among staff, higher rents and the difficulty of recruiting quality teachers were also contributing to fee increases.

He noted that schools often faced pressure to adjust their fees when neighbouring schools did the same.

“If a nearby school increases, there is a tendency for neighbouring schools to also increase,” he said.

He added that recruiting quality teachers from outside the immediate environment could also require schools to provide accommodation, further increasing their operating costs.

In Ebutte-Metta, Lagos, another proprietor, Lateef, said his school increased its fees by 30 per cent, blaming the decision largely on a sharp rise in rent.

He said the rent on his school premises had risen from N3m to N5m.

Lateef also said his school was considering stopping its bus service because it had become increasingly difficult to operate profitably amid uncertainty over fuel prices.

“Only big schools can keep running bus services at the moment due to fuel price uncertainty. Many small schools struggle to continue running buses, as the buses have become more of a promotional tool for their schools,” he said.

In Ibadan, Oyo State, a school proprietor, Morayo, said her school increased its fees by about 10 per cent.

She said the adjustment was relatively moderate because textbook prices had risen by only about two per cent.

The fee increases come amid preparations by schools and households for Monday’s resumption.

Parents have been visiting bookshops to purchase textbooks and other school materials, while pupils and students who travelled during the holidays have begun returning ahead of the new session.

At schools, head teachers and other administrators have been meeting with teachers to conclude preparations for the session, including reviewing records from the previous term, drawing up timetables and agreeing on organisational plans.

Some schools have also undertaken repairs and infrastructure upgrades ahead of resumption.

Source: punchng.com

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