Tag: Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the Federal Government of insincerity in its approach to collective bargaining and the welfare of university lecturers.

The union said the government’s actions showed a lack of regard for tertiary education.

ASUU’s Chairman at the University of Ibadan (UI), Dr. Adefemi Afolabi, made the allegation while speaking on a radio programme, Situation Room, monitored yesterday by our correspondent.

The union leader said the government’s handling of issues affecting lecturers in public universities reflected a disregard for intellectuals and the future of education in the country.

Afolabi condemned the government’s delay in signing the renegotiated draft agreement reached by the Yayale Ahmed-led committee, more than eight months ago, describing it as a deliberate tactic to frustrate the union.

ASUU, he noted, was forced to embark on its ongoing two-week warning strike to protest the government’s nonchalance and breach of collective bargaining principles.

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“The government took us for granted for over eight months. We waited patiently, held protests, and sensitized Nigerians, yet instead of signing the draft agreement, the government came up with another committee to start the process afresh. That is a clear waste of time and resources,” Afolabi said.

The ASUU leader decried what he called the government’s inconsistency and failure to act on the recommendations of its committees.

He said this had deepened the hardship of lecturers, who now struggle with poor remuneration amid rising living costs.

“We don’t work in an ideal environment. Yet, we are poorly rewarded. Lecturers can hardly afford transportation to work, and even when they do, many can’t concentrate due to unmet needs,” Afolabi said.

“Professors are resigning and relocating abroad, while first-class graduates no longer show interest in teaching. These developments spell danger for the future of Nigeria’s university system.”

According to him, ASUU’s agitation is not just for improved welfare but also for adequate funding and revitalisation of public universities in the interest of the children of the masses.

…directs members to shun work from Mon

…govt urges union to embrace dialogue, may invoke ‘no work no pay’

Academic activities in public universities may be heading for disruption following the strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday.

The union directed lecturers in public universities to commence a two – week warning strike, commencing from tomorrow (Monday) to protest alleged failure of the Federal Government to meet their demands.

National President of ASUU, Prof. Chris Piwuna, who addressed reporters at the national secretariat of the union at the University of Abuja main campus on Sunday, warned that the strike may be extended by the union if the government failed to address its demands.

Piwuna, who was joined at the briefing by ASUU leaders, added that the warning strike “will be total and comprehensive.”

He stated that nothing significant had happened since it issued the two-week ultimatum.

“Government has been asking for time with nothing concrete on ground to resolve it”, he said.

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But the government reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to constructive engage with ASUU towards the sustainable resolution of all outstanding issues affecting the university system.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, nd Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sai’d Ahmed, stated that the federal government has “demonstrated demonstrable sincerity, patience, and goodwill in its dialogue with the Union, noting that virtually all the concerns raised by ASUU have been addressed.”

They added, “These include the introduction of a big percentageof teaching allowance and significant improvements in the conditions of service of academic staff. The few remaining matters are those that rightfully fall within the jurisdiction of the governing councils of the respective universities, which have been recently reconstituted to handle such internal issues.

“The few remaining matters are those that rightfully fall within the jurisdiction of the governing councils of the respective universities, which have been recently reconstituted to handle such internal issues.”

Piwuna further explained that the union has consistently shown restraint in order not to disrupt the academic calendar, but the government’s insensitivity has left them with no alternative.

“Consequently, all branches of ASUU are hereby directed to withdraw their services with effect from midnight (12.01a.m.) on Monday, 13th October, 2025. The warning strike shall be total and comprehensive as agreed at the last NEC meeting,” he said.

The ASUU president added: “This two-week warning strike should be taken as a window by the government to address our demands. It is a window for the government to stop the deceit and go back to the negotiating table and resolve this issue with us.

“If they don’t, we are going to meet again after two – weeks and when we do we will take action that will certainly be different from this one (two-week) warning strike.

“If we embark on that journey it will be total and there will be no going back.”

Piwuna said despite engagements with the Federal Government, there was nothing substantial to stop the strike directive reached at its national executive council (NEC) meeting on September 28.

He accused the government of raising the hopes of ASUU members through a “document hurriedly put together by the government.”

The National Executive Council (NEC) issued a 14-day notice to the government on September 28, threatening to embark on a strike if nothing was done with regards to its demands.

The ultimatum ended on Oct 12 (Sunday).

The ASUU leader urged well-meaning Nigerians, civil society organisations, and the media to prevail on the federal government to address the lingering issues once and for all.

“This struggle is not just for university lecturers; it is for the soul of public education in Nigeria,” Piwuna added.

In a statement by the Director Press and Public Relations of the ministry, Boriowo Folasade, the two ministers noted that, though the government is making all efforts to resolve all the issues and ensure that students remain in school, ASUU is not operating with the same zeal.

“The government had met the deadline for presenting its position to the union as agreed, yet instead of reverting to the ministry in continuation of dialogue, ASUU has chosen to proceed with strike action,” the statement said.

They noted that the action does not reflect a spirit of cooperation or fairness to the students and the public, especially given the government’s demonstrable commitment and concrete steps already taken.

The ministers further stressed that the government has continued to prioritise the welfare of university staff and the stability of the academic calendar under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

According to them, dialogue remains the most effective and sustainable path to resolving disagreements, and government remains open to engagement at any level to prevent unnecessary disruption in the education sector.

They, however, emphasized that the “no work, no pay” policy remains an extant labour law of Nigeria, and the government will be guided by this law should academic activities be disrupted in the nation’s universities.

“While government continues to demonstrate goodwill and flexibility, it will not abdicate its responsibility to uphold fairness and accountability in the use of public resources,” the ministers said.

They reassured Nigerian students, parents, and the general public that the federal government is firmly committed to maintaining industrial harmony in the tertiary education system.

The ministers appealed to all academic unions to embrace partnership and dialogue rather than confrontation, in the collective interest of the nation’s higher education system.

They reiterated that the government’s education reform agenda is designed to enhance teaching and research conditions, promote institutional autonomy through strengthened university governance, and ensure that the academic community thrives in an environment of mutual respect, productivity, and innovation.

The ministers reaffirmed the commitment of the Federal Government to work with all stakeholders to safeguard the academic calendar and prevent further disruption in the learning process.

They urged ASUU to reconsider its position and return to dialogue in the best interest of students and the future of Nigeria’s education system.

Piwuna listed ASUU’s seven demands as the re-negotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, sustainable funding of public universities, revitalisation of universities, an end to the alleged victimisation of ASUU members in LASU, KSU (now Prince Abubakar Audu University) and FUTO, payment of outstanding 25–35% salary arrears, settlement of promotion arrears spanning over four years, and remittance of outstanding third-party deductions.

The striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) Chapter in Ondo State have decried what they described as the deplorable state of infrastructure and gross underfunding of the state-owned institution under the Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa-led administration.

The union members, currently on strike over alleged non-payment of salaries and arrears, said the continued neglect of the university had severely affected the welfare of academic staff and crippled the institution’s growth

Addressing journalists in Akure, the AAUA-ASUU Chairperson, Comrade Boluwaji Oshodi, lamented that the university had suffered “serious neglect” from successive governments in the past six years, especially, in terms of funding, which has resulted in a huge backlog of salary arrears and allowances running into billions of naira.

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Oshodi explained that several meetings were held with the university management to resolve the issues until it became clear that the root problem was “inadequate funding,” citing low monthly subventions and the non-release of capital grants by the state government.

He noted that ASUU had written several letters dated May 3 and June 10, 2025, requesting a meeting with Governor Aiyedatiwa but received no positive response.

According to Oshodi, classrooms, laboratories, libraries, and lecturers’ offices have become inhabitable, with leaking roofs and collapsed structures worsening the learning environment.

 “The neglect of the university has greatly affected the welfare of the academic staff of this great university. The following are currently being experienced by the University: Bad access road to the university – There are two roads linking the University to the Owo-Ikare major highway. The two roads are in deplorable conditions such that it is difficult to believe that they actually lead to a university.

 “Poor infrastructure in the university: Lecture rooms, laboratories, and library need some urgent face lift. Lecturers’ offices are the worst hit. The faculty of Arts, a two-storey building, for example, has been abandoned by staff accommodated on the second floor because the inner roofs of most offices have collapsed and are usually flooded anytime it rains. The same thing is happening to the Faculty of Education. The roof is leaking, making the offices on the last floor become inhabitable anytime it rains,” he said.

 He further revealed that the state government had not released any capital grants to the university in the past seven years, despite yearly budgetary appropriations by the State House of Assembly.

 The ASUU chair also revealed that since the withdrawal of TETfund intervention by the immediate past administration, the institution had witnessed a severe infrastructural decline.

 He noted that the current monthly subvention of N223,125,000 was far below the N555–N600 million required for salaries and overheads.

 Oshodi added that although the government once invited the university management led by Vice-Chancellor Prof. Olugbenga Ige for a meeting where it was agreed that a verification team from the Ministry of Finance would visit the school by July 2025.

 However, he noted that no such visit had taken place.

 “After over two months of waiting, the state government has neither sent the verification team nor invited the union for any further talks. As of today, October 3, 2025, our members are being owed two months’ salary (August and September 2025), in addition to huge outstanding arrears,” he said.

 He listed the outstanding liabilities as Excess workload arrears (2009–2013: 70%, 2014–2020: 100%) – Over ₦4.5bn, promotion/annual increment arrears (2021/2022)- N65m, promotion/annual increment arrears (2022/2023)-N200m outstanding minimum wage arrears (2014)-N276,664,779.96, Outstanding minimum wage arrears (2019)- N1,939,346,017.32, third-party deductions (March–August 2025)- over N24m, cooperative deductions-NOver N102,142,742.10

 Oshodi, therefore, called on Governor Aiyedatiwa to urgently intervene and salvage the institution from what he described as “looming total collapse.”

 Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Education in the state, Prof Igbekele Ajibefun, told The Nation that the issues raised by the striking lecturers were being addressed.

 Ajibefun, who pleaded with the ASUU members to exercise patience with the government, added that the Governor Aiyedatiwa led administration has been investing much in education in the state.

 “We shall be meeting the lecturers and union leaders soon to address these issues. One thing is that the governor is a lover of education and he is not relenting in investing in the sector. So, all their grievances would be resolved soon,” he said.