The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on the federal government to urgently address unresolved issues affecting the education sector, warning that failure to address lingering labour issues could plunge universities into another crippling strike.
Christopher Piwuna, the president of ASUU, in a statement explained that recent comments by Tunji Alausa, the minister of education, stating there would never again be strikes by university lecturers, would remain wishful thinking except the government backed its optimism with concrete action.
Piwuna emphasied that words alone could not resolve the deep-seated problems affecting the union and the university system, though he said ASUU is ready for dialogue and healthy relations.
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ASUU in the statement decried that its members across public universities were unhappy, 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.
“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 read in part.
The statement condemned successive governments for reneging on the provisions of the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, which according to the union, should have been renegotiated since 2012.
ASUU president further emphasised 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.
According to the statement, some 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).
ASUU said the flip-flop disposition of successive governments towards collective bargaining has created distrust, even as the union accused authorities of cherry-picking which parts of agreements to implement, resorting to “platitudes and tokenism” instead of holistic solutions.
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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.
Moreover, ASUU blamed the government for 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,” Piwuna said.
