The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Port Harcourt branch, has declared an indefinite strike over incomplete salary payments and outstanding responsibility allowances owed to its members.
The University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities has commenced an indefinite strike after the university administration failed to resolve outstanding issues involving lecturers' salaries and allowances.
The decision was taken at an emergency congress of the union on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, following the expiration of a 48-hour deadline previously given to the university management.
ASUU said the industrial action followed the administration's failure to address the union's demands despite a meeting between both sides and assurances that the issues would be considered.
Why UNIPORT ASUU Declared the Strike
According to the ASUU branch, one of the major issues is the incomplete payment of lecturers' salaries for June, July and August 2026.
The union also complained about incomplete payment of responsibility allowances to lecturers and the non-payment of such allowances to some members working under the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS).
The affected group includes lecturers in the university's School of Health Sciences.
ASUU further alleged that its members had been left out of monthly responsibility allowance payments made to members of other unions for more than two years.
These issues were considered at an emergency congress held on September 11, when the union gave the university administration 48 working hours to respond to its demands.
48-Hour Deadline Expired
The union said representatives of the university administration met with ASUU on September 11 and promised to respond to the demands before the deadline.
However, according to the union, the deadline expired at midnight on Tuesday, September 15, without the outstanding matters being resolved.
ASUU subsequently held another emergency congress on September 16 and resolved to begin an indefinite strike.
The branch said the action has the backing of the union's national body.
The dispute comes at a time when ASUU branches at several Nigerian universities have been raising concerns over salary arrears, allowances and the implementation of agreements reached with government.
Lecturers Directed to Stop Academic Activities
As part of the industrial action, UNIPORT ASUU directed its members to withdraw from academic and official responsibilities until the dispute is resolved.
The union said members should not conduct lectures or examinations, invigilate examinations, participate in official assignments or attend statutory meetings during the strike.
A Strike Monitoring Team has also been established to monitor compliance with the directive across the university's campuses and centres.
The directive means that the strike is expected to affect several areas of academic activity, particularly lectures, examinations and other activities requiring the participation of ASUU members.
Students Face Possible Disruption
The indefinite nature of the strike creates uncertainty for students whose academic schedules depend on lecturers returning to their duties.
Students awaiting lectures, examinations, assessments and other academic activities could experience delays if the disagreement between the union and university management continues.
The extent of the disruption will depend on how quickly the outstanding salary and allowance issues are addressed and whether the two sides can reach an agreement.
The latest development is particularly significant because an indefinite strike has no fixed end date. Unlike a warning strike, which is announced for a specified period, an indefinite action continues until the issues prompting the dispute are resolved or the union decides to suspend it.
Wider ASUU Tensions
The UNIPORT dispute comes against the backdrop of wider concerns raised by ASUU over the financial welfare of university lecturers across Nigeria.
Earlier in September, the national leadership of ASUU warned that unresolved issues surrounding salaries, the implementation of the December 2025 agreement, third-party deductions and other welfare matters could lead to further industrial action in public universities.
The national union said some state university branches had already moved toward strike action over unresolved local issues.
ASUU's national leadership has also maintained that several issues relating to the 2025 agreement with the Federal Government remain unresolved, even as the government announced steps toward implementing some provisions.
The Federal Government said on September 9 that funds had been released for payment of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance to academic staff in federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for January to August 2026. ASUU, however, said other elements of the agreement remained outstanding.
The UNIPORT strike is therefore a branch-level industrial action, although it is taking place within a broader period of labour tension in Nigeria's university system.
What ASUU Is Demanding
The immediate issues identified by the UNIPORT branch include:
• Completion of lecturers' salaries for June, July and August 2026.
• Payment of outstanding responsibility allowances.
• Payment of responsibility allowances to affected CONMESS and CONHESS members.
• Resolution of the alleged exclusion of ASUU members from monthly responsibility allowance payments made to members of other unions.
• Resolution of the outstanding financial issues that led to the union's ultimatum.
The union's position is that the administration had an opportunity to address the demands after the September 11 meeting but failed to do so before the deadline.
The university administration's position on the allegations was not included in the reports reviewed for this article, so the claims concerning the outstanding payments and the administration's failure to act remain attributed to the ASUU branch.
Strike Has No Announced End Date
For now, there is no announced date for the suspension of the industrial action.
The strike will continue unless the issues are resolved and the union decides to call off the action.
The development places pressure on the university administration to engage with the lecturers' union and address the outstanding matters while also raising concerns about possible disruption to the institution's academic calendar.
For students, the immediate priority will be the resolution of the dispute so that lectures, examinations and other academic activities can resume.
The University of Port Harcourt ASUU branch has made clear that its members are to remain away from academic and official duties during the strike.
Until an agreement is reached, academic activities involving the affected lecturers are expected to remain disrupted.
