The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the University of Jos, Plateau State chapter, announced an indefinite strike after the March 2026 salaries and Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) remained unpaid. The decision was issued in a statement by chapter chairman Prof. Jurbe Molwus on Wednesday, with the strike taking effect from April 8, 2026. Molwus urged members to cease all lectures, examinations and statutory meetings, saying, "Dear comrades, after following due process, we hereby request all members to abstain from lectures, examinations, and statutory meetings as our salary for March 2026 remains unpaid despite our patience." He added, "This action is in line with the extant NEC resolution and our standing congress resolution and takes immediate effect from today, April 8, 2026, until our salaries are paid."
Molwus blamed the Office of the Accountant‑General of the Federation for the delay, noting that the university's bursary had fulfilled its part. "From our consultation, the delay is occasioned by the Office of the Accountant‑General of the Federation, as the bursary of the university has done its part in the process of salary payment," he said. He warned that continued postponements could jeopardise industrial harmony, urged full compliance with the strike directive, and confirmed the activation of a strike monitoring team. The move follows a Peoples Gazette report that the university had scheduled April 13 for the resumption of exams suspended after a deadly security incident in Jos.
Prof. Jurbe Molwus's decision to hold the university's staff on strike while explicitly attributing the pay blockage to the Office of the Accountant‑General underscores a deepening administrative rift between university management and federal financial bodies.
The strike arrives at a volatile moment: students have been waiting for the April 13 exam restart after a security‑driven shutdown, while the broader ASUU movement nationwide continues to grapple with chronic salary arrears. By invoking both the NEC resolution and the standing congress resolution, Molwus signals that the grievance is rooted in long‑standing procedural frustrations rather than an isolated incident.
For students poised to sit the postponed examinations, the indefinite strike threatens further delays, potentially extending the academic calendar and affecting graduation timelines. Lecturers, already deprived of March salaries, face prolonged loss of income, which may push some to seek alternative employment or abandon academic duties altogether.
The episode mirrors a recurring pattern of fiscal bottlenecks that repeatedly cripple Nigerian universities, suggesting that without systemic reforms to salary disbursement mechanisms, similar disruptions are likely to recur, eroding confidence in the higher‑education system.
