UTURU — The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Abia State University branch, has embarked on a total, comprehensive, and indefinite strike over what it describes as unbearable working conditions, with revelations that professors earn less than commercial tricycle operators.
CDA News Nigeria gathered that Professor Nnamdi Chinwendu Nwaeze of the Department of Economics, ABSU, in a statement on August 12, 2026, detailed the grievances of the union, noting that ASUU-ABSU members are among the least paid university lecturers in Nigeria.
CDA News Nigeria reports that the professor revealed that lecturers are still being paid with the 2009 ASUU/FG Salary Structure, while other Nigerian universities have moved to the 2024 and December 2025 structures. He disclosed that most professors in ABSU earn less than N400,000 monthly, compared to their counterparts in federal universities who earn between N1.3 million and N1.4 million.
“Statistically, more than 85 percent of lecturers no longer drive their cars,” Professor Nwaeze stated. He highlighted other grievances, including non-payment of promotion arrears since 2023, unpaid Earned Academic Allowances since the university’s inception, and non-remittance of union dues.
The lecturer contrasted this with allowances for political appointees, stating that a local government councilor allegedly earns about N600,000 monthly, while a House of Assembly member earns about N8 million net salary in Abia State.
ASUU-ABSU has downed tools in what it described as a total, comprehensive, and indefinite strike. The union calls on the Abia State government to pay lecturers their due and end the industrial action.
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