Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Tuesday staged nationwide protests, with the University of Jos serving as one of the major centres of the demonstration. The lecturers, carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs, rejected the Federal Government’s recently introduced loan scheme and called for the immediate payment of withheld salaries and allowances.
At the University of Jos, ASUU members converged on campus grounds in a show of solidarity, highlighting what they described as years of neglect by the Federal Government. After the peaceful march, they addressed journalists, stressing that the new loan initiative was a misplaced priority that fails to solve the financial struggles of lecturers.
ASUU branch chairperson, Dr. Joseph Molwus, who spoke on behalf of the protesters, condemned the Federal Government’s Tertiary Institution Staff Support Fund loan scheme. He described it as a deliberate move to push lecturers into deeper financial hardship, insisting that what lecturers need is not loans but their legitimate entitlements.
According to him, the loan programme was nothing but a “poisoned chalice” designed to further impoverish academics instead of addressing their pressing needs. He wondered why lecturers should be asked to borrow money to meet their daily obligations when the government is still withholding their salaries and other allowances.
“How can the government ask us to borrow money to pay for healthcare, children’s school fees and other basic needs when it still owes us arrears, earned academic allowances, revitalisation funds, and promotion arrears?” Molwus queried, drawing loud approval from protesting colleagues.
The lecturers insisted that the Federal Government must release funds to settle all outstanding obligations, including withheld salaries, wage awards, unremitted third-party deductions, and earned allowances. They argued that introducing loans while ignoring these debts was both insensitive and exploitative.
ASUU also expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s refusal to conclude the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement. Despite several committees being set up and reports submitted, the union said the government had abandoned collective bargaining, leaving lecturers in a state of despair.
Molwus emphasised that the persistent neglect of these demands was pushing universities towards another round of crisis. He warned that the industrial peace enjoyed in the past two years could be threatened if urgent steps are not taken. “The government keeps making promises without fulfilment, and our patience is running thin,” he said.
The protesters also drew attention to President Bola Tinubu’s campaign promise in 2022 that university strikes would not occur under his administration. Molwus said many lecturers believed that pledge but were now disappointed two years into his government as the major issues remain unresolved.
He therefore called on the President to personally intervene by engaging directly with ASUU leaders. According to him, only such intervention could avert a nationwide shutdown of universities, urging the President to “renew the hope” of lecturers and the education sector at large.
The Jos protest, which was part of a nationwide action, sent a strong message to the Federal Government. Similar demonstrations were held at ASUU branches across the country, with lecturers reaffirming their commitment to dialogue but cautioning that their patience should not be mistaken for weakness.
Placards at the Jos rally bore inscriptions such as “We Need Salaries, Not Loans,” “Stop Playing Politics with Education,” and “Fulfil the 2009 Agreement.” The protesters said the messages captured their frustration and the urgency of the issues at stake.
Observers noted that the Jos protest was particularly symbolic because of the large turnout and the support of students and members of civil society groups. Many students expressed concern that unresolved issues between ASUU and the government could once again disrupt their academic programmes.
ASUU leaders ended the Jos protest with a stern warning to the Federal Government. They stressed that unless concrete steps are taken to meet their demands, the union would have no choice but to consider a strike, a move they described as undesirable but unavoidable if the government continues to neglect them.
For now, the lecturers say they remain committed to dialogue, but the ball is in the Federal Government’s court. Whether the protests in Jos and across the nation will yield a positive response remains to be seen, but ASUU insists it will not relent until its members’ welfare and the future of Nigerian universities are secured.
