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 address its demands despite a meeting with its representatives and assurances that the issues would be resolved.
ASUU also alleged that its members had been excluded from the monthly payment of responsibility allowances made 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.
Amakoromo said an emergency congress held on Friday, September 11, 2026, gave the university administration 48 working hours, expiring at midnight on Tuesday, September 15, to address the outstanding issues or face an indefinite local strike backed by the union’s national body.
He said the deadline elapsed without a resolution, prompting the branch to declare an indefinite strike at another emergency congress held on Wednesday, September 16.
According to the statement, the union’s demands include the complete payment of its members’ salaries for June, July and August 2026, as well as the outstanding responsibility allowances.
The union also demanded the payment of responsibility allowances to members covered by CONMESS and CONHESS, including lecturers in the School of Health Sciences.
It further alleged that ASUU members had been sidelined in the monthly payment of responsibility allowances to members of other unions for more than two years.
The statement said the university management met with the union on September 11 and promised to respond to the demands before the deadline set by the congress.
“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 the outstanding issues being resolved.
“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 added.
ASUU said its members would suspend all academic and official duties throughout the strike.
The union specifically directed members not to conduct lectures or examinations, invigilate examinations, participate in official assignments or attend statutory meetings during the industrial action.
It also constituted a Strike Monitoring Team to monitor compliance across the university’s main campus and other centres.
