The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to embark on a nationwide strike, citing the Federal Government’s failure to honour longstanding agreements on revitalising and properly funding Nigeria’s public universities.
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday at the University of Jos, ASUU President Christopher Piwuna, expressed frustration over the government’s delay tactics and broken promises, which have lasted over two years.
Hensard Times reports that ASUU is pushing for the implementation of this agreement to improve university funding and staff welfare.
Lecturers are still owed three months’ salaries, which ASUU said was unacceptable.
The union demanded immediate resolution of this issue to boost staff morale.
ASUU lamented the poor pension scheme, where some professors earn as low as N150,000 monthly after serving for over 40 years.
ASUU rejected the government’s proposed tertiary institutions staff support fund loan scheme, describing it as a “trap.”
Piwuna emphasised that lecturers don’t need loans but rather the implementation of agreements that would improve their purchasing power.
“Our members do not need loans. What we need is the implementation of agreements that will improve our purchasing power. Government is still owing us three months’ salaries, yet they are asking us to borrow money,” he said.
The union criticised the government’s unchecked establishment of universities without sustainable funding, warning that the trend has lowered academic standards and damaged global rankings.
“The general public should also note that ASUU has written several letters to the FGN drawing its attention to the need to resolve this crisis amicably.
‘Lamentably, the FGN has always turned a deaf ear to all our pleas,” the ASUU president said.
“As always, it is the FGN that has consistently pushed our union to embark on a strike action, and it is clear that ASUU may have no other option than to embark on an action to press the FGN to listen to our demands and do the needful.
“The government made promises on these issues. Regrettably, we are here today to inform the Nigerian public, through you, that these undisputed issues could lead to a crisis in our educational sector have met, as with other consequences, nothing but the same response,” he said.
ASUU will await the outcome of a government meeting scheduled for August 28 before deciding on its next course of action.
The union, however announced plans to stage rallies across university campuses next week to express their frustrations.
Piwuna warned that “time is running out” and that the union cannot continue to wait endlessly while the future of Nigerian universities is destroyed.
