The Academic Staff Union of Universities has warned it may shut down teaching at Sokoto State University and Shehu Shagari University of Education unless the state government addresses mounting welfare problems within weeks.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, union leaders at both institutions said their members have been neglected for too long. Dr Bello Musa, who chairs ASUU at Sokoto State University, and Dr Shamsu Kabiru, his counterpart at Shehu Shagari, signed the warning together.
The core grievance is money. Lecturers say they are owed Earned Academic Allowances for the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 academic sessions. They also want the state to implement the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement, which includes special allowances for teaching and research that federal universities have already begun paying.
ASUU made clear that state lecturers should not be treated as second-class. "These issues have lingered for too long despite several reminders. Addressing them will sustain the harmonious working relationship and enhance productivity," the union said in its statement.
The union framed the threat as protective, not punitive. If the Sokoto State Government does not move quickly, discontent will spread among lecturers and the academic calendar will suffer disruption. Both institutions serve thousands of students who depend on uninterrupted teaching.
This row sits within a larger pattern. Academic unions across Nigeria's state universities have grown increasingly vocal about funding gaps. While federal institutions get resources from Abuja's budget, state schools depend on governors who often struggle with other priorities.
Sokoto's two universities employ hundreds of lecturers whose salaries and allowances are supposed to follow national pay scales negotiated between the federal government and ASUU. The union argued that state governments must honour these agreements or watch their institutions collapse.
The Sokoto State Government has not yet responded to the warning. ASUU did not name a deadline, but the language suggests patience is running out. If negotiations fail in coming weeks, lecturers will likely begin voting on strike action.
