By Femi Anamelechi
The relative progress in the academic calendar of universities in Nigeria may yet again be thrown into crisis as the apex union that governs activities of Lecturers and Universities in the country, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) issued a firm ultimatum to the federal government over it’s Insincerity over the 2009 agreements. ASUU is demanding the immediate implementation of the 2009 FG/ASUU and have threatened a nationwide strike if the agreements are not implemented immediately. ASUU President Chris Piwuna voiced the union’s deep frustration over the government’s ongoing neglect of nine critical issues that have long afflicted Nigeria’s public universities. He pointed this out recently at a Press conference in Abuja.
During the Press conference the president highlighted the unresolved 2009 agreements with the Federal government. According to him, the Federal government has remained very insincere and this has stalled renegotiations and agreements reached in 2009. The agreements alongside other urgent concerns has been pending since 2017. These include unpaid salaries and unsettled entitlements linked to the contentious Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS). Which were the key issues that led to the 2022 strike. He also criticised the government’s failure to release revitalisation funds and pay earned academic allowances, despite prior commitments.
The government had promised to inject N150 billion into the university system and adjust irregular allowances by 2026. Piwuna drew attention to the plight of ASUU members at state-owned institutions such as Kogi State University and Lagos State University, where staff face victimisation, job insecurity, and withheld salaries, factors that have seriously dampened morale and worsened academic conditions. The ASUU President also lamented the growing political interference in university leadership appointments, citing cases from Nnamdi Azikiwe University and the University of Abuja, where political and economic interests have compromised leadership integrity. He called for “national rebirth through education.”
Piwuna proposed convening an education summit to address key issues like funding, university autonomy, and academic staff welfare. He emphasized education’s crucial role in empowering citizens, fostering innovation, and nurturing values, warning that without sufficient investment, national development would remain impossible. However, he pointed out that ASUU remains open to dialogue and made it clear that the union will not accept any further violations of its rights. “Our universities should be centres for solutions to national challenges. We are open to dialogue but will not tolerate further erosion of our rights,” he concluded.
