The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has again raised alarm over the Federal Government’s failure to honour longstanding agreements, warning that a fresh nationwide strike may soon be unavoidable. The union accused the government of negligence and insincerity in addressing critical issues affecting the revitalisation and proper funding of Nigeria’s public universities.
Speaking during a press conference at the University of Jos on Thursday, ASUU President, Christopher Piwuna, noted that university lecturers across the country have endured more than two years of broken promises, half-hearted interventions, and deliberate delay tactics by the government. He described the situation as frustrating and dangerous for the stability of Nigeria’s higher education system.
Piwuna outlined unresolved matters, including the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, outstanding salary arrears, withheld promotions, and the welfare of retired lecturers. According to him, these issues have been presented repeatedly to government officials, yet there has been no meaningful progress.
“The general public should also note that ASUU has written several letters to the Federal Government, drawing its attention to the need to resolve this crisis amicably. Lamentably, the FGN has always turned a deaf ear to all our pleas,” Piwuna said. He added that the union has always been forced into strikes by the government’s refusal to engage in genuine dialogue.
The ASUU leader emphasised that despite repeated assurances by the Federal Government, the promises made to the union remain largely unfulfilled. “Regrettably, we are here today to inform the Nigerian public that these unresolved issues could lead to a crisis in our educational sector, with dire consequences for the future of the country,” he warned.
On government’s proposed tertiary institutions staff support fund loan scheme, Piwuna expressed outright rejection, describing it as a “trap” meant to divert attention from the real problems. “Our members do not need loans. What we need is the implementation of agreements that will improve our purchasing power. Government is still owing us three months’ salaries, yet they are asking us to borrow money,” he declared.
ASUU further criticised the Federal Government for the uncontrolled proliferation of universities without proper plans for sustainable funding. The union argued that the reckless establishment of new institutions has worsened the poor state of infrastructure, lowered academic standards, and contributed to Nigeria’s declining global ranking in education.
On the issue of pensions, the union expressed deep concern over the plight of retired professors, many of whom receive as little as ₦150,000 monthly after decades of service. Piwuna lamented that the government’s refusal to review retirement benefits in line with inflation has left many senior academics impoverished.
The union revealed that it is closely monitoring developments and will await the outcome of a scheduled government meeting on August 28 before deciding its next line of action. However, ASUU confirmed that members will begin staging rallies across campuses next week to publicly demonstrate their dissatisfaction and put pressure on the authorities.
“Time is running out. We cannot continue to wait endlessly while the future of Nigerian universities is destroyed,” Piwuna warned, urging the public to understand that any strike action by lecturers is a last resort aimed at saving the education system.
Observers fear that if ASUU makes good on its threat, Nigeria may once again face the disruption of academic calendars nationwide. This could further compound the existing problems of prolonged graduations, declining quality of education, and the exodus of students to foreign institutions.
With this latest warning, it is evident that unless urgent steps are taken by the Federal Government to address ASUU’s concerns, another nationwide strike may be imminent. Such a development would deal a fresh blow to Nigeria’s fragile education system and raise further doubts about the government’s commitment to building a globally competitive university sector.
