Nigeria’s higher education sector is once again under the threat of disruption as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) signalled plans for strike action over government inaction on longstanding agreements.
Speaking in Jos on Thursday, ASUU President Christopher Piwuna accused the Federal Government of ignoring repeated calls to resolve disputes that have lingered for more than a decade. He said lecturers were frustrated by unpaid salary arrears, stalled promotions, poor retirement benefits and the failure to renegotiate the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement.
Piwuna rejected a proposed loan scheme for university staff, insisting that wage improvements and adequate funding were the real solutions. He also criticised the unchecked establishment of new universities without sustainable financing, which he argued has diluted quality and damaged Nigeria’s global standing in education.
The union has set 28 August, when a government meeting is expected, as a deadline before deciding on strike action. In the meantime, members plan to stage protests on campuses nationwide to highlight their grievances.
“ASUU has been patient for too long,” Piwuna said. “Unless government honours its commitments, Nigerian universities face yet another avoidable shutdown.”
