Posted by Chinenye on Wed 09th Sep, 2026 - tori.ng
Tension is rising at Sokoto State University as lecturers issue a fresh deadline over unpaid salaries, allowances and other benefits.
(Academic Staff Union of Universities. Photo Credit: ASUU)
University lecturers at Sokoto State University have given the state government two weeks to pay money owed to them or they will go on strike.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities branch at the university issued the warning after a meeting on Tuesday.
The union, led by Chairman Bello Musa and Secretary Comrade Zulkallaini Shehu, said the government's education ministry met with them on September 7 and promised to address their demands within two weeks. The ministry said it would present their requests to the state governor.
However, the lecturers are skeptical about this promise because the government has broken similar agreements before.
They pointed out that some of their demands were already included in an agreement signed on March 4, 2024, and other issues were discussed in another agreement reached through the education ministry on April 28, 2026.
The government has only partially paid the salary component that was supposed to be given after the agreed deadline.
Sokoto State University was actually the first state university in the North-West to partially implement this salary agreement, but many other payments remain outstanding.
The unpaid amounts include additional academic allowances, money that should have been sent to third parties, overdue promotion payments, arrears from a salary increase and accumulated yearly pay raises.
Despite their concerns, the union agreed to accept the government's latest offer and give authorities two weeks to act.
The lecturers warned that if the government does not pay what it owes after two weeks, they will strike and disrupt all academic activities at the university, including all meetings where lecturers are involved.
The union listed five things the government must do within two weeks, fully implement the salary agreement, pay outstanding academic allowances, send money to third parties as promised, pay arrears from the salary increase and settle overdue promotion payments.
The lecturers appealed to people in Sokoto State to pressure the government to keep its promises so the university can continue operating peacefully.
They expressed hope that the government would fulfil this latest promise and prevent another disruption of studies.