THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned that the government should be ready to face the consequences of its “persistent inaction” regarding the stalled renegotiation over critical issues affecting university lecturers and the wider education sector.
According to Punch Online, ASUU President Chris Piwuna stated on Sunday, July 27, that the union had lost patience with the government’s continued failure to take meaningful action, despite years of assurances and dialogue.
“In the days and weeks ahead, the government should be ready to accept whatever they see”, Piwuna warned.
He said that the union’s demands were clear and well-documented, pointing to the 2009 agreement with the government, which addresses key issues including conditions of service, university autonomy, academic freedom, sustainable funding, and earned academic allowances.
“We are tired of words and promises. Our efforts are frustrated by the government. It has been seven years now since we started renegotiation with the government. It has reached a point that something must give way. We either have an agreement or we don’t. We are tired of words and promises of action. Our members can only respond to action,” he said.
The ICIR reported that ASUU called on the Federal Government in May to implement the 2009 FG/ASUU agreement or risk another nationwide strike.
By early July, more branches of the union downed tools following the delay in payment of salaries.
For instance, the Chairman of the University of Jos branch of ASUU, Jurbe Molwus, announced the withdrawal of services by the union members at the university, citing the delay in the payment of their June 2025 salaries.
The ASUU president, in his latest remarks, pointed out that challenges like infrastructural decay, staff demoralisation, cultism, and the deteriorating quality of education in universities could best be tackled through enhanced funding and better remuneration for lecturers.
“We believe that the infrastructural decay, demoralised staff, cultism, and poor quality of education in our universities can best be addressed through increased funding and improved remuneration for our members.
Let me be clear: non-teaching staff of the university should be carried along as our salaries are reviewed. It will promote harmony and stabilise the system,” he said.
The ICIR reports that while the national body ASUU has yet to declare a strike since President Bola Tinubu took over power on May 29, 2023, despite threatening to down tools several times, the union suspended work for over 600 days during the late former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.