The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Chris Piwuna, has accused the Federal Government of failing to implement any of the agreements reached with the union despite years of negotiations and promises.
Speaking at a press briefing, Piwuna lamented that none of the issues tabled during past dialogues—including university funding, improved working conditions, academic freedom, and autonomy—has been enforced. He said the government’s failure to act has left the university system in a state of neglect and frustration.
He recalled that the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, which began in 2017, has stalled repeatedly. Three different committees—the Babalakin Committee (2017), the Jibril Committee (2021), and the Briggs Committee (2022)—all submitted draft agreements, yet none has been signed into law or implemented.
According to Piwuna, the union has consistently engaged government in good faith, suspending strike actions based on assurances that issues such as revitalization funds, earned academic allowances, and withheld salary arrears would be addressed. “Sadly, not a single one of those commitments has been met,” he stressed.
The ASUU President warned that the persistent neglect of agreements is pushing the nation’s public universities toward collapse. He noted that the union has been left with no choice but to mobilize nationwide protests and may embark on another strike if urgent action is not taken.
Already, ASUU members across the country have staged demonstrations over unpaid entitlements, describing the government’s education loan scheme as a “poisoned chalice” that does not solve the root problems of underfunding and poor infrastructure.
The union insists that unless the government addresses the long-standing demands, including the release of revitalization funds and the payment of outstanding allowances, the future of Nigeria’s tertiary education system will remain uncertain.