ASUU warns of looming strike, urges FG to address outstanding demands

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on the Federal Government to urgently address unresolved issues affecting public universities, warning that another nationwide strike may be imminent.

In a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja, ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, said lecturers across Nigerian universities are demoralised and working under dire conditions.

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He accused successive administrations of signing multiple Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and Memoranda of Action (MoAs) without fulfilling their commitments.

According to him, lecturers are teaching “on empty stomachs,” conducting research without access to essential materials, and struggling to meet personal and family obligations amid soaring living costs.

Many, he noted, are forced to travel in dilapidated vehicles while contending with mounting bills, children’s school fees, and rent.

“Yet, the elite are quick to blame universities for producing ‘unemployable graduates’ and failing to initiate innovative research,” Piwuna said. “Our members feel forgotten, shamed, and abandoned by past and present governments.”

ASUU faulted the government’s failure to conclude the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, despite receiving a draft in December 2024.

The union said all major disputes since 2012 have stemmed from breaches of the agreement on conditions of service, funding, university autonomy, academic freedom, and the review of laws governing the National Universities Commission (NUC) and Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

The statement also condemned political interference in the appointment of vice chancellors, citing alleged irregularities in the promotion of the Acting Vice Chancellor of Alvan Ikoku University of Education.

ASUU accused the government of ignoring the principles of collective bargaining enshrined in International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions 98 and 154, and of punishing lecturers by withholding salaries during strikes.

“For the umpteenth time, we call on all genuine patriots to prevail on the Federal and State Governments to address all lingering labour issues in the university system to avert another industrial crisis,” the union said.

It added that no amount of “discussions” or memoranda can replace a binding Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that addresses staff welfare and creates an enabling environment for quality academic work.