The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Monday accused the Federal Government of deliberately stalling on long-standing agreements affecting public universities, warning that another nationwide strike may be unavoidable if urgent action is not taken.
Addressing a press conference at the University of Ibadan, the Ibadan Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Olaniran, said the relative peace in public universities in recent months was due to the patience of the union and the expectation that government would fulfil its promises.
The Ibadan Zone comprises the University of Ibadan, University of Ilorin, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osun State University, Kwara State University, and Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo.
Olaniran noted that little progress has been made on the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement and other key issues. He listed unresolved demands including the signing of a renegotiated 2021 draft agreement, sustainable funding for universities, restoration of autonomy, payment of withheld salaries and promotion arrears, as well as the mainstreaming of Earned Academic Allowances.
He criticised the government’s allocation of only 7 percent of the 2025 national budget to education, far below UNESCO’s recommended benchmark, lamenting that Nigerian universities remain underfunded with decaying infrastructure, poorly equipped laboratories, and substandard hostels. “None of our public universities rank among the top 1,000 globally,” he said.
ASUU also decried alleged victimisation of members at Lagos State University, Kogi State University, and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, as well as what it described as the unlawful dissolution of governing councils and erosion of Senate powers. The union further demanded the release of three and a half months’ withheld salaries from the 2022 strike and full implementation of the government’s wage award.
Prof. Olaniran accused the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) of fraud, citing unremitted deductions and unpaid promotion arrears spanning over four years. He urged Nigerians to prevail on the government to act decisively, warning that lecturers would not continue to endure endless delays.
“We are peace-loving, but we will not continue to watch our members’ welfare sacrificed to the government’s delay tactics. Another crisis in the university system can only be prevented if the Federal Government honours its commitments,” he said.
