The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Port Harcourt branch, has declared an indefinite strike over the incomplete payment of salaries and responsibility allowances to its members.
The union said the decision followed the failure of the university management to resolve its demands despite a meeting with its representatives and assurances that the outstanding issues would be addressed.
ASUU also accused the university management of sidelining its members in the monthly payment of responsibility allowances to members of other unions for more than two years.
The branch Secretary, Tarila Amakoromo, disclosed this in a statement issued to journalists on Thursday.
The union had, at an emergency congress held on Friday, September 11, 2026, given the university administration 48 working hours, ending at midnight on Tuesday, September 15, to resolve the issues or face an indefinite local strike backed by the union’s national body.
According to the union, its demands include the incomplete payment of lecturers’ salaries for June, July and August 2026, incomplete payment of responsibility allowances, and the non-payment of responsibility allowances to members under CONMESS and CONHESS, particularly lecturers in the School of Health Sciences.
The union also cited the alleged exclusion of ASUU members from the monthly payment of responsibility allowances being received by members of other unions for over two years.
ASUU said the university management met with its representatives on September 11 and promised to respond to the demands before the deadline.
“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 said.
The union said the 48-hour deadline expired at midnight on September 15 without any resolution of the issues.
“Sequel to the University Administration’s failure to address the issues, the branch in an emergency Congress held today, 16th September, 2026, declared the indefinite Strike Action,” it stated.
Under the strike, ASUU members are expected to suspend all academic and official duties, including lectures, examinations, examination invigilation, official assignments and statutory meetings.
“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 Strike Monitoring Team has been mandated to monitor compliance across the University’s campuses and Centres,” the statement stated.
The union has also constituted a strike monitoring team to ensure compliance across the university’s main campus and other centres.
