ASUU Declares Indefinite Strike at University of Port Harcourt Over Unpaid Salaries, Allowances

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Port Harcourt branch, has declared an indefinite strike over what it described as incomplete payment of salaries and responsibility allowances to its members.

The union said the decision followed the failure of the university administration to resolve its demands despite a meeting with its representatives and assurances that the outstanding issues would be addressed.

ASUU also alleged that its members had been excluded from monthly payments of responsibility allowances that were being paid to members of other unions at the university for more than two years.

The branch Secretary, Tarila Amakoromo, disclosed the decision in a statement issued to journalists on Thursday.

According to the statement, an emergency congress held on September 11, 2026, gave the university administration 48 working hours, ending at midnight on September 15, to resolve the issues or face an indefinite local strike supported by the union’s national body.

The deadline expired without the union’s demands being resolved.

ASUU subsequently held another emergency congress on September 16, where members resolved to commence the indefinite industrial action.

The union listed the issues behind the strike as the incomplete payment of three months’ salaries covering June, July and August 2026, incomplete payment of responsibility allowances and the alleged non-payment of responsibility allowances to lecturers in the university’s School of Health Sciences under CONMESS and CONHESS.

It also raised concerns about what it described as the continued exclusion of ASUU members from monthly responsibility allowance payments made to members of other unions.

“A strike action has been declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Port Harcourt Branch following the University Administration’s failure to address the demands of the Union,” the statement said.

The union said its representatives met with the university administration on September 11, the same day its initial congress was held, and were assured that management would respond to the demands before the deadline.

According to ASUU, the administration failed to meet that commitment.

“Regrettably, the University Administration, in spite of meeting with the Union on the same day and promising to respond to the Union’s demands before the deadline given by Congress, refused to act as promised,” the statement added.

With the deadline having elapsed, the branch said its emergency congress on September 16 approved the indefinite strike.

The union directed its members to suspend all academic and official duties for the duration of the action.

This includes lectures, examinations, examination invigilation, official assignments and statutory meetings.

ASUU also announced the establishment of a Strike Monitoring Team to monitor compliance with the directive across the university’s main campus and other centres.

“For the avoidance of doubt, members of ASUU are not supposed to give lectures or examinations, invigilate examinations, participate in any official assignment or statutory meetings during the strike action,” the union stated.