Bauchi varsity union threatens strike over unpaid pension arrears

File: Sa’adu Zungur University

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Sa’adu Zungur University branch, has threatened to embark on another industrial action over the failure of the Bauchi State Government to pay outstanding pension arrears owed to its members.

The union said the government’s failure to honour the agreement reached with it on the payment of the arrears had heightened frustration among lecturers and threatened industrial harmony in the institution.

The warning was contained in a statement jointly signed by the ASUU-SAZU Chairman, Awwal Hussain, and Secretary, Saleh Bagudu, on Thursday.

The union recalled that it embarked on a total and indefinite strike on November 29, 2024, over several demands before the intervention of the state Governor and Visitor to the university, Bala Mohammed, led to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the union and the state government.

While commending the governor for improving the university’s funding in line with the agreement, ASUU said the implementation had facilitated the fulfilment of some components of the MoU.

It, however, lamented that the agreement’s implementation timeline expired on December 9, 2025, without the payment of the accrued pension arrears, which it described as a major outstanding component.

According to the union, the governor had directed the Head of Civil Service, the Commissioner for Higher Education and the university’s Governing Council to address the pension liabilities.

It alleged that the concerned agencies had failed to act on the directive, despite several letters written to draw their attention to the outstanding payments.

The statement described the pension arrears as benefits accumulated over more than a decade of service, lamenting that some affected lecturers had retired without receiving their entitlements, while others had died without enjoying the benefits.

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It read, “The accrued pension arrears in question represent over a decade of sweat, blood and selfless service. Some affected comrades have retired in penury, some have died without enjoying their benefits, some have left the service in frustration, while the majority remains at their duty posts, grinding it hard under excruciating conditions.”

ASUU expressed concern over what it described as the disregard for the welfare of academic staff and the development of the state’s only university.

It said the continued silence of the relevant authorities and failure to implement the governor’s directive had generated anger and eroded members’ confidence in the government’s commitment to resolving the matter.

The union, therefore, appealed to Mohammed to intervene by directing the concerned agencies to immediately clear the outstanding pension liabilities.

It warned that it could no longer guarantee industrial peace if the affected lecturers continued to be denied their entitlements.

“We cannot and will not continue to guarantee industrial harmony while our members are subjected to this brazen injustice.

“We, therefore, respectfully call on our Visitor, Bala Mohammed, to call these agencies to order and compel them to immediately resolve the pension backlog,” the statement added.

The union further warned that the Head of Civil Service should be held responsible if the continued failure to address the matter resulted in another industrial dispute.

“While we remain a union of intellectuals committed to dialogue, we will not hesitate to invoke all legitimate means available to us under our union tradition to defend the hard-earned entitlements of our members,” it stated.