Nigeria: Unpaid Arrears - Plateau Varsity Lecturers Begin Indefinite Strike

What the report says

Lecturers at Plateau State University, Bokkos, in Nigeria’s Plateau State have begun an indefinite strike over unpaid salary-related arrears and other unresolved welfare and administrative demands, according to Premium Times as republished by AllAfrica. The action was announced by the Plateau State University chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) after a congress meeting on Wednesday.

The union said the strike followed the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the university administration on 11 August. In a statement signed by chapter chairman Vincent Choji and secretary Lomka Kopdiya, the lecturers said the management had not satisfactorily addressed six items on their list of grievances. Those demands include starting the Contributory Pension Scheme, implementing the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement in full, and paying arrears dating from 1 January 2026.

Other requests cited by the union include payment of 22 months of the 25/35 percent wage award, provision of safer staff quarters, fencing and trenching around the campus perimeter, and an end to what the union described as intimidation of its leaders. The lecturers said they would withdraw from all academic activities until further notice, after approval from ASUU’s National Executive Council.

The report places the Plateau action within a wider wave of disputes in Nigerian public universities, where several branches have issued ultimatums or started strikes over delayed agreements and unpaid entitlements. The broader context is a recurring pattern of industrial action in the sector tied to funding, compensation and working conditions.