TERTIARY EDUCATION: ASUU URGES GOVERNMENT TO PRIORITIZE EDUCATION, PROTECT FUTURE
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed disappointment with the Nigerian government’s approach to negotiations, warning that it could have grave consequences.
The union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, held at Taraba State University, Jalingo, reviewed the offers made by the government negotiating team and frowned at the back-and-forth approach.
ASUU President Christopher Piwuna emphasized the need for the government to prioritize education, stating that it is a social good that guarantees sustainable development, not a commercial good that must be self-sustaining.
The union rejected the proposed salary increment as insufficient, describing it as a “mere drop in the ocean” that cannot reverse the brain drain syndrome in university education.
Key issues include salary and conditions of service components remaining a sore point, government’s part payment of promotion arrears and release of third-party deductions being seen as mere confidence-boosting exercises, and ASUU demanding a holistic resolution of the issues to uplift the living conditions of academics in Nigeria.
The union noted that the government’s revenue profile has increased significantly, with states receiving 3.92 trillion naira in 2022 and 5.81 trillion naira in 2024, representing a 62% increase, and the Federal Government receiving 3.42 trillion naira in 2022 and 4.65 trillion naira in 2024, a 70% increase.
ASUU is calling on traditional rulers, leaders, students, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and civil society to urge the government to give lecturers a living wage and prioritize education, emphasizing that protecting the future of Nigeria requires investing in education, which is the bedrock of any society.
