THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has elected a professor, Chris Piwuna, as its new national president.
A consultant psychiatrist at the University of Jos Teaching Hospital and Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Jos, Piwuna succeeds Emmanuel Osodeke, another Professor of Soil Science from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, whose tenure began in 2021.
The election took place during ASUU’s 23rd National Delegates Congress, held at the University of Benin, Edo State, on Sunday, May 11.
Piwuna, who previously served as ASUU’s vice president, won the presidency after defeating Adamu Babayo, a professor at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi.
Confirming the news to The ICIR, Osodeke stressed that the new president had resumed office immediately.
The election was amid unresolved issues between the Nigerian government and ASUU, which has consistently identified poor funding as a major contributor to Nigeria’s educational challenges.
In September 2024, the union noted that the government used “delay tactics” to deal with its members.
The ICIR reported ASUU’s demands to include renegotiating the 2009 Federal Government and ASUU agreement, providing revitalisation funds for public universities, paying all earned academic allowances and withheld salaries, and addressing promotion arrears.
Underfunding public universities has been a recurring issue, sparking prolonged ASUU strikes, including an eight-month industrial action in 2022.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M