Act now to avert looming crisis in varsities – ASUU warns FG

By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned the federal and state governments to urgently address lingering labour issues in Nigerian public universities or risk another round of industrial action.

In a strongly worded statement issued from its Festus Iyayi National Secretariat Complex, University of Abuja, ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, said recent comments by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa—that there would never again be strikes by university lecturers—would remain wishful thinking unless the government backed its optimism with concrete action.

While welcoming dialogue and healthy relations with union leaders, ASUU stressed that words alone could not resolve the deep-seated problems affecting the system.

The union lamented that lecturers across Nigerian public universities were “not happy”, as they teach on empty stomachs, conduct research in poorly equipped libraries and laboratories, and carry out community engagements without the necessary tools or resources.

ASUU said academics are weighed down by unpaid bills, school fees for their children, rent, and other unmet responsibilities, yet are blamed for producing “unemployable graduates” and failing to drive innovative research.

The statement criticised successive governments for reneging on the provisions of the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, which should have been renegotiated since 2012.

Prof. Piwuna noted that despite the submission of a draft renegotiated agreement by the Yayale Ahmed Committee in December 2024, the government has failed to conclude the process eight months later.

Key issues in the agreement include conditions of service, funding, university autonomy, and reforms of the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

“The flip-flop disposition of successive governments towards collective bargaining has created distrust,” ASUU said, accusing authorities of cherry-picking which parts of agreements to implement, resorting to “platitudes and tokenism” instead of holistic solutions.

The union also decried what it described as the politicisation of vice-chancellor appointments in some universities, citing the case of Alvan Ikoku University of Education, where it alleged that the return of the acting vice-chancellor was being pushed despite questions surrounding her promotions.

ASUU accused the government of pushing lecturers to the brink of strikes and then punishing them with withheld salaries. It also criticised the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), calling it corruption-prone and discriminatory against academics.

“Our members are tired of endless memoranda and promises. No memorandum or discussion can take the place of a Collective Bargaining Agreement which fully addresses staff welfare and the environment for productive work. The time to act is now,” Prof. Piwuna declared.

The union urged “all genuine patriots” to prevail on the federal and state governments to take immediate action to prevent another breakdown in the university system.

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