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UNIZIK Lecturers Begin Indefinite Strike Over August Salary

Published

2 months ago

September 8, 2026

UNIZIK lecturers begin an indefinite strike over incomplete August 2026 salaries, with ASUU demanding full payment before services resume

Lecturers at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Anambra State, under the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), began an indefinite strike on Monday, September 7, 2026, over the non-payment of their full August 2026 salaries.

Also read: Tinubu to Headline Niger Delta Investment Summit Sept 15

The decision was reached at an ASUU-UNIZIK Congress meeting and announced in a statement jointly signed by the branch Chairperson, Innocent Nnubia, and Secretary, Osita Nnajiofor.

The union said the industrial action was in line with a standing resolution of the ASUU National Executive Council concerning the non-payment of workers’ salaries.

According to the lecturers, the ASUU-NEC resolution permits university branches to withdraw their services when salaries remain unpaid beyond the third day of the following month.

ASUU-UNIZIK said that by September 7, the university had still not paid its members their complete salaries for August.

The union described the situation as an “ugly and frustrating experience”, noting that members had encountered similar salary-related difficulties on more than three occasions.

“The sole reason for this action is the non-payment of the complete salary of August 2026,” the statement said.

The union directed all its members to immediately withdraw both academic and administrative services.

The action is to remain in force until all affected members receive their outstanding August salaries.

The development could disrupt academic and administrative activities at the university if the dispute persists, particularly as students and staff await a resolution between the union and university management.

ASUU-UNIZIK appealed to the university authorities and the university’s Visitor, President Bola Tinubu, to intervene urgently and ensure that the outstanding salaries are paid in full.

The union also called for measures to prevent a recurrence of the salary shortfalls.

“This ugly experience” should not be allowed to happen again, the lecturers said, stressing that regular payment of salaries was essential to maintaining stability within the institution.

The dispute comes against the wider backdrop of recurring tensions between ASUU and university authorities over funding, salaries, working conditions and other welfare issues.

For UNIZIK lecturers, however, the immediate issue remains the unpaid portion of their August remuneration.

When contacted for the university’s response, Aloysius Attah, Director of Information and Public Relations at UNIZIK, declined to comment on the strike.

With the lecturers’ services withdrawn indefinitely, attention will now turn to whether the university authorities can resolve the salary dispute quickly and restore normal academic activities.

Also read: Tinubu to Headline Niger Delta Investment Summit Sept 15

For students, the duration of the disruption will ultimately depend on how swiftly the outstanding salaries are paid and whether the union considers the matter sufficiently resolved to return to work.

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Probe Into Fake Federal Agencies Not Over, ICPC Insists

Published

1 day ago

November 8, 2026

Mariam Balogun

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has said its investigation into the alleged operation of fake federal agencies within the Federal Government is still ongoing, despite the reinstatement of two permanent secretaries suspended over the matter.

The commission maintained that it stood by its earlier findings that other purported fake agencies had been discovered during its investigations, adding that further action would be announced when the process was concluded.

ICPC spokesperson, John Odey, disclosed this while responding to an enquiry on the status of the investigation in Abuja.

He said the commission was still examining the allegations and had yet to decide whether the findings would result in further court action.

“The ICPC stands by what it said about finding out in the course of our investigations that there were some other fake agencies. Investigations are ongoing.

“As usual, when the ICPC is ready to either go to court or not to go to court, we would let you know. But for now, investigations are ongoing. Let it be on record that the ICPC stands by what it said before,” Odey said.

The commission had on August 21, 2026, announced the discovery of a purported fake federal agency operating under the name National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office.

The ICPC alleged that the organisation was promoted by George Buchi Nwabueze, with the suspected involvement of senior public servants in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

Following the disclosure, President Bola Tinubu ordered Nwabueze’s arrest and the suspension of three permanent secretaries: Mohammed Danjuma, Nandungu Gagare and Richard Pheelangwa.

The discovery emerged during the commission’s wider investigation into the activities of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), which was allegedly operated by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew.

The ICPC had earlier reported that its investigation into the PFIPC uncovered two other purported organisations allegedly linked to Adeyemi: the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership.

According to the commission, the investigation found that the PFIPC was not established by any law, executive order or other valid government instrument. It also alleged that documents presented to support the organisation’s existence, including an appointment letter, were forged.

The commission further said there was no evidence that Federal Government funds had been approved or disbursed to the purported council.

However, Nwabueze denied the allegation that the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office was fake, insisting that the project office had existed within the OSGF since July 16, 2010.

He questioned why an initiative that had allegedly been operating for 16 years was suddenly being described as fictitious.

Meanwhile, two of the three permanent secretaries suspended following the discovery have since been reinstated.

Mohammed Danjuma, Permanent Secretary, Finance (Special Duties), was reinstated following presidential approval conveyed in a letter dated October 22, 2026, by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Olumuyiwa Abel. His reinstatement took effect on October 21.

Similarly, Richard Pheelangwa, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, resumed duty on November 3 after the Federal Government lifted his suspension.

The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, formally welcomed Pheelangwa back to the ministry, according to a statement by the minister’s media adviser, Leah Katung-Babatunde.

The reinstatements have, however, not brought the ICPC investigation to an end, as the commission says it is continuing efforts to establish the full circumstances surrounding the alleged operations of the purported agencies and identify anyone who may have facilitated them.