HMM! UNIPORT ASUU Declares Indefinite Strike Over Unpaid Salaries, Allowances

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) branch, has declared an indefinite strike over what the union described as incomplete salary payments and outstanding responsibility allowances owed to its members.
The industrial action was declared on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, after the expiration of a 48-hour deadline issued to the university management to address the grievances. The deadline reportedly expired at midnight on Tuesday, September 15, without a resolution.
According to the branch secretary, Tarila Amakoromo, the union’s concerns include incomplete payment of lecturers’ salaries for June, July and August 2026, incomplete responsibility allowances, and non-payment of responsibility allowances to lecturers under CONMESS and CONHESS in the School of Health Sciences.
ASUU also alleged that its members had been excluded from monthly responsibility allowance payments made to members of other unions for more than two years.
The union said its representatives met with the university administration on September 11 and were given assurances that the issues would be addressed before the deadline. However, ASUU said the promised action did not materialise, leading its emergency congress to activate the indefinite strike.
Under the strike directive, ASUU members are expected to withdraw from academic and official duties. This includes lectures, examinations, examination invigilation, official assignments and statutory meetings. The union has also constituted a strike monitoring team to ensure compliance across the university’s campuses and centres.
The development comes amid wider concerns within ASUU over outstanding salary obligations and the implementation of the December 2025 agreement between the Federal Government and the union. The national body recently warned that unresolved issues could trigger broader industrial action in public universities.
For students at UNIPORT, the indefinite action could disrupt lectures, examinations and other academic activities until an agreement is reached between the university management and the lecturers’ union.