The Benin Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities has threatened to disrupt academic activities in public universities over what it described as the Federal Government’s failure to fully implement the 2025 agreement reached with the union and unveiled in January 2026.

Speaking during a press briefing in Benin on Thursday, the zonal chairman, Monday Igbafen, accused the government of reneging on commitments contained in the agreement despite assurances of immediate execution.

Igbafen, accompanied by union executives and representatives from the nine universities under the Benin Zone, said the agreement was expected to resolve longstanding disputes surrounding the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government pact.

According to him, the current implementation of academic allowances by the government contradicts the terms agreed upon with the union. He alleged that authorities selectively paid Consolidated Academic Tool Allowances, Earned Academic Allowances and Professorial Allowances instead of integrating them into the Consolidated University Academic Staff Salary Structure as stipulated in the agreement.

The union also faulted the Federal Government for failing to inaugurate the Implementation Monitoring Committee, which it said was designed to protect the agreement from bureaucratic delays and interference.

Similarly, the Ibadan Zone of the union criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over what it described as inadequate commitment to resolving the persistent crisis in the country’s tertiary education sector.

Addressing journalists at the University of Ibadan, the Ibadan Zonal Coordinator, Biodun Olaniran, expressed concern that several provisions of the 2025 agreement remained either partially implemented or ignored five months after its signing.

The union warned that continued delay in executing the agreement could trigger another round of industrial action capable of disrupting academic stability in Nigerian universities.

ASUU further accused the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, of politicising the agreement rather than prioritising reforms needed to address challenges facing the education sector.

The lecturers’ union appealed to the Presidency, the National Assembly, the judiciary, religious leaders and traditional rulers to intervene and prevent what it described as a looming crisis in public universities.

The union also rejected the proposed Nigeria Education Repository Databank policy, arguing that it raises concerns over intellectual property protection and compliance with data privacy laws.

In addition, ASUU condemned what it called increasing political interference in the administration of universities, particularly in the appointment of vice-chancellors and principal officers, as well as restrictions on staff recruitment despite claims of institutional autonomy.