Unpaid Salaries: Abia Varsity Lecturers are Dying, Says ASUU Chairperson

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Abia State University (ABSU), Uturu branch has raised serious concerns over months of unpaid salaries owed to lecturers, describing the situation as life‑threatening and calling for urgent intervention from the Abia State Government and relevant authorities.

ASUU’s Plea Over Unpaid Salaries

In a press statement, the ASUU Chairperson at ABSU, Comrade Victor Nkemdirim, detailed the grave hardship faced by academic staff due to long periods without salary payment. He noted that the delay in salaries and subvention releases has subjected lecturers to extreme financial stress, affecting their welfare and that of their families.

The union appealed to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to honour the statutory subvention provisions and ensure that lecturers receive their rightful monthly pay without further delays. The plea emphasised that the non‑payment has not only undermined staff morale but, according to the ASUU chairperson, has even had fatal consequences for some lecturers struggling under the burden of financial hardship.

Impact on Lecturers and University Life

ASUU’s remarks reflect a broader crisis affecting university academics in Nigeria where unpaid salaries, irregular subventions, and deteriorating working conditions have increasingly strained lecturers’ lives. Similar protests and union actions have been reported in other institutions, where lecturers have taken to the streets or declared strikes due to unpaid entitlements, stagnated promotions, and outdated salary structures.

Broader Context

While ABSU’s case involves state‑owned university lecturers — whose employment and salary payments depend largely on state government subventions — the issues resonate with comparable situations across Nigerian tertiary institutions. For example, lecturers at other state and federal institutions have staged protests and strikes over withheld salaries and failure of authorities to implement negotiated agreements on pay and working conditions.

Union’s Demand

ASUU is calling for:

• Immediate payment of arrears and regular salary releases to all affected lecturers.
• Government intervention to regularise staff payrolls, ensuring that qualified academic staff receive monthly remuneration without interruption.
• Fulfilment of subvention obligations as stipulated in state appropriation laws to sustain university operations and staff welfare.

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Why This Matters

Delayed or withheld salaries in universities:

• Threaten staff welfare and basic livelihood.
• Affect teaching quality, research output, and academic services.
• Fuel labour unrest and campus disruptions.

Lecturers’ welfare is widely recognised as central to the functioning of Nigeria’s higher education system, with unions frequently advocating for pay justice, better funding, and full implementation of agreements with government authorities