Abia Govt Resolves to Pay Striking ABSU-ASUU Approved Minimum Wage | #NwokeukwuMascot
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The development was disclosed on Monday by the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, while briefing journalists at the Government House, Umuahia, on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti.
According to the Commissioner, the dispute was largely connected to workers’ welfare, particularly outstanding check-off dues, salary-related matters and the implementation of an approved salary structure for university workers.
Prince Kanu explained that the demands of the university workers had actually received the approval of Governor Otti since April 2026, but implementation was delayed by administrative processes.
He said the Governor, following the renewed concerns and industrial action, directed the Secretary to the State Government-led committee handling the matter to ensure that all outstanding issues were resolved within 48 hours.
The Commissioner disclosed that the outstanding check-off dues owed to the union had now been paid, while the new salary structure and associated academic allowances had been processed for payment alongside the August 2026 salaries.
“In particular, outstanding check-off dues have been paid and a new salary scale, consolidating academic, student teaching allowance and other related payments, have been addressed and will be paid with the August 2026 salary of the affected workers,” Prince Kanu stated.
He added that the new salary structure for other categories of staff of Abia State University had equally been processed and would be reflected in their August salaries.
“The August salary of those workers is expected to drop any time soon, maybe by this week. The new salary scale for other staff at the Abia State University has also been processed and will be paid in this month, this August,” he said.
With the latest development, the Abia Government considers the issues responsible for the ASUU industrial action substantially resolved, paving the way for a return to normal academic activities at the state-owned university.
The announcement is particularly significant against the backdrop of growing concerns over the welfare and remuneration of academic staff at ABSU. The debate over the earnings and working conditions of university lecturers had recently been brought into public focus following the controversy surrounding the suspension of a young Professor of Economics at the university, Nnamdi Nwaeze.
Professor Nwaeze had attracted public attention after expressing his views on social media about the economic realities confronting academic staff, including a comparison between the earning of commercial tricycle, popularly known as Keke riders and university professors.
His remarks, which centred on the disparity between the income of some informal-sector workers and that of university academics, generated considerable public discussion about lecturers’ remuneration, professional dignity and the condition of Nigeria’s university system.
The controversy surrounding the professor’s suspension also exposed the sensitivity of issues relating to academic welfare and freedom of expression within institutions of higher learning. The union’s last stated position was that it would not call off the strike until the suspension of Prof. Nwaeze was lifted, signalling that ASUU-ABSU was also standing in solidarity with one of its members over what it considered a matter deserving of the union’s intervention.
However, as at the time of filing this report, the ABSU chapter of ASUU had yet to issue an official reaction to the announcement by the Abia State Government or formally communicate its position on the purported resolution of the issues that led to the industrial action. The union’s response is therefore being awaited, particularly on whether the government’s latest measures fully address its demands and whether they are sufficient to bring the strike to an end.
Until the ABSU-ASUU leadership formally reacts, the government’s announcement remains its official position on the dispute, members of the university community and the wider public await the union’s response on the next steps toward resolving the industrial action.
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