The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) branch, has declared an indefinite strike over incomplete salary payments and unpaid responsibility allowances owed to lecturers.
The union said the decision followed the failure of the university administration to resolve the issues despite meeting with its representatives and promising to respond to its demands.
Tarila Amakoromo, ASUU Secretary at UNIPORT, disclosed this in a statement sent to journalists on Thursday.
Amakoromo said the union had given the university administration 48 working hours to address the issues or face an indefinite local strike backed by the union’s national body.
He said the deadline, which was issued at an emergency congress on Friday, September 11, elapsed at midnight on Tuesday, September 15, without the demands being addressed.
The branch subsequently declared the indefinite strike at another emergency congress held on Wednesday, September 16.
According to the union, lecturers were owed parts of their salaries for June, July and August 2026.
The union also listed incomplete payment of responsibility allowances among its grievances.
It alleged that lecturers under the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), particularly those in the School of Health Sciences, had not received their responsibility allowances.
ASUU further 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 statement said the university administration met with the union on September 11 and promised to respond to the demands before the 48-hour deadline.
“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 union said.
ASUU said the failure to resolve the issues led its branch to declare the strike after the deadline expired.
“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 stated.
The union directed its members to withdraw from academic and official duties for the duration of the strike.
It said lecturers were not expected to conduct lectures or examinations, invigilate examinations, participate in official assignments or attend statutory meetings during the industrial action.
“For the avoidance of doubt, members of ASUU are not supposed to give lectures or examinations, invigilate examinations, participate in any official assignment or statutory meetings during the strike action,” the statement said.
ASUU also constituted a strike monitoring team to ensure compliance across the university’s main campus and other centres.
“The Strike Monitoring Team has been mandated to monitor compliance across the University’s campuses and Centres,” the union stated.
