 has renewed its call on the Federal Government to urgently resolve lingering issues stemming){kind=link}
We have reached the end of our patience. The government must not test our resolve. For over a year, we have refrained from industrial action in the hope of peaceful resolution, but we cannot continue to wait endlessly.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has renewed its call on the Federal Government to urgently resolve lingering issues stemming from previous engagements, emphasizing that these unresolved matters are hindering the development of Nigeria’s educational system.
Addressing journalists at a press conference held at the Festus Iyayi National Secretariat Complex, University of Abuja, ASUU President, Dr. Chris Piwuna, voiced the union’s deep concerns over the persistent neglect of key issues affecting university education. He cited an increasingly hostile work environment, poor conditions of service, and a lack of meaningful progress in the renegotiation and implementation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement.
Dr. Piwuna warned that the union might be compelled to resume industrial action if the government fails to address these critical issues. He particularly highlighted the unresolved status of the 2009 Agreement, ongoing challenges in state universities, and what he described as the erosion of university autonomy—all of which, he asserted, pose a serious threat to the integrity and sustainability of the Nigerian university system.
He criticized successive governments at both federal and state levels for what he described as a consistent pattern of paying lip service to the education sector and the welfare of academic staff. “It is disheartening,” he said, “that the process of renegotiating the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement has dragged on since 2017 with no definitive conclusion.”
Dr. Piwuna noted that the last significant discussion on the Agreement, held in December 2024, involved mutual recommendations by both parties but has since stalled, with no feedback or concrete action from the government. He lamented that despite repeated promises—including the release of a N150 billion revitalisation fund and budgetary provisions for Earned Academic Allowances—none of these commitments have been fulfilled.
Specifically, he highlighted that the government pledged to:
Release N50 billion to clear the backlog of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA).
Budget an additional N29 billion for EAA in 2025.
Mainstream the EAA into regular salaries by introducing an “Irregular Allowance” as part of the 2026 budget.
Disburse N150 billion in revitalisation funds by April 2025.
Despite these commitments, ASUU maintains that the federal government has not followed through, leaving university staff in a state of uncertainty and frustration.
On the issue of the renegotiated agreement, Piwuna emphasized that the union had concluded discussions with the Yayale Ahmed Committee, which reviewed the draft Agreement prepared by the Nimi Briggs-led FGN/ASUU Renegotiation Committee. However, five months later, the agreement remains unsigned, and there has been no official communication from the committee.
“We have reached the end of our patience,” Piwuna said. “The government must not test our resolve. For over a year, we have refrained from industrial action in the hope of peaceful resolution, but we cannot continue to wait endlessly.”
He revealed that delegates at the recent National Delegates’ Conference held at the University of Benin reviewed the government’s handling of ASUU’s demands and expressed deep disappointment at the lack of meaningful progress over the past two years.
ASUU’s key demands include:
Finalization and signing of the renegotiated 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement based on the 2021 draft by the Nimi Briggs Committee.
Immediate release of withheld salaries from the 2022 strike action (covering three-and-a-half months).
Payment of outstanding salaries for academic staff on sabbatical, part-time, and adjunct appointments.
Dr. Piwuna concluded by calling on patriotic Nigerians, stakeholders in the education sector, and friends of Nigeria to support ASUU’s cause for a revitalized, autonomous, and well-funded university system capable of delivering quality education to Nigerian youths.