ASUU Warns of Imminent Strike, Accuses Government of Neglecting University Lecturers
The union says public university lecturers are “demoralised” and “forgotten” as it demands urgent action on unresolved labour issues.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has cautioned the Federal Government to urgently address long-standing labour issues in public universities or face another nationwide strike.
In a statement released on Saturday, ASUU’s National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, accused the government of ignoring critical welfare concerns and undermining agreements signed with the union.
The warning comes despite recent assurances by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, that strikes would no longer disrupt Nigeria’s tertiary education system. Alausa had said the government’s strategy of dialogue and strong relations with union leaders would prevent further industrial actions.
While acknowledging the minister’s optimism, ASUU stressed that meaningful dialogue must be matched with concrete action. “Lecturers in Nigerian public universities are, to put it mildly, not happy,” the statement read, citing poor salaries, lack of teaching and research materials, and deteriorating work conditions.
The union said many academics work “on empty stomachs,” using outdated facilities and personally bearing the costs of research, utilities, and family upkeep, while being blamed for producing “unemployable graduates.”
ASUU also criticised the government’s handling of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, which it says has stalled since December 2024 despite a draft agreement submitted by the Alhaji Yayale Ahmed committee. The agreement covers conditions of service, university funding, autonomy, and academic freedom.
According to the union, successive governments have “cherry-picked” which parts of the agreement to implement, disregarding the morale of lecturers and the fundamental requirements for teaching and research.
The statement further raised concerns over alleged political interference in university governance, including controversial vice-chancellor appointments, and condemned attempts to reinstate the Acting Vice Chancellor of Alvan Ikoku University of Education despite “serious irregularities” in her academic promotion.
Calling on “all genuine patriots” to intervene, ASUU said Nigerian academics are tired of “excuses and tokenism” from the authorities. “The Federal and State Governments must act now to avert another industrial crisis,” the union warned.
