By Joke Kujenya
THE ACADEMIC Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a fresh warning of nationwide industrial action, accusing the Federal Government of reneging on commitments made under the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement and failing to address lingering demands.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday at the University of Jos (UNIJOS), ASUU President, Christopher Piwuna, said lecturers have endured over two years of unmet promises, withheld salaries and promotions, and worsening conditions for retired academics.
He declared that the government’s repeated delays had eroded trust, noting that the union’s patience was wearing thin.
“Our patience, which has lasted over two years, is running out. Trust has been destroyed by the government; it is, therefore, up to them to regain it to avert any strike,” Piwuna said.
He outlined the union’s key demands, including the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, revitalisation and sustainable funding of public universities, settlement of outstanding salary arrears, and the welfare of retired lecturers.
According to him, ASUU’s National Executive Council met on 16 and 17 August and resolved to give the government until a meeting scheduled for 28 August to address these issues.
The outcome of that meeting, he said, would determine the union’s next course of action.
Piwuna confirmed ASUU’s rejection of the government’s newly launched Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF), which was announced on 14 August as an interest-free loan scheme for tertiary institution staff.
He described the initiative as a “poison chalice” that would worsen the financial plight of indebted lecturers rather than relieve it.
“Our members do not lack where to find loans. Indeed, they are already deep in debt from such loans,” he said.
“What we need now is for the government to sign our renegotiated agreement, which will improve our purchasing power and decrease our reliance on debts from cooperative societies.”
The union also criticised the continued proliferation of universities, despite the government’s seven-year moratorium announced on 13 August against establishing new federal tertiary institutions.
Piwuna pointed out that shortly after this pronouncement, the government licensed nine new private universities, a move he described as contradictory and damaging to standards.
He recalled that the Minister of Education had disclosed that over 30 universities recorded zero admissions, attributing the problem to the unchecked licensing of “mushroom universities” established for political patronage.
“If we agree that access is no longer an issue, why is the NUC giving more licences to private universities?” Piwuna asked.
“We have 72 federal, 108 state, and 159 private universities, bringing the total to 339. So why not place a moratorium on both public and private?”
On pensions, ASUU expressed concern that professors who had served for more than four decades now earn as little as ₦150,000 monthly.
The union insisted that such treatment of retired scholars undermines the value of academic service in Nigeria.
Piwuna emphasised that ASUU has consistently written to the Federal Government seeking dialogue but lamented that its appeals had been ignored.
“As always, it is the FGN that has consistently pushed our union to embark on a strike action,” he said.
He announced that while ASUU awaits the outcome of the 28 August meeting, its members would stage rallies across university campuses to demonstrate their frustration.
“Time is running out. We cannot continue to wait endlessly while the future of Nigerian universities is destroyed,” Piwuna warned.
The union said its warning is coming against the backdrop of past strikes, including the eight-month shutdown of 2022 and the nine-month stoppage in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic which was the longest in Nigeria’s history.
