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Strike looms as ASUU asks FG to speedily address all outstanding issues

…alleges diversion of TETFund resources to NELFUND

Nigerian universities may be thrown into another wave of strike, as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has called on the Federal Government to speedily address all outstanding issues and reneged agreements to sustain the industrial harmony in Universities.

President of ASUU, Prof. Chris Piwuna who issued the mild threat on Friday in Abuja, regretted that government has continued to renege on its promises and signed agreements with the unions.

While explaining that ASUU only embarks on strike as a last resort when every other channel of engagement fails to yield positive fruits, he emphatically stated that its members have not only tried, but has given government enough time to address to the issues under contention

Piwuna who accused the government of paying lip service to education and welfare of university academics, lamented that members of the union have had to contend with enormous challenges occasioned by hostile work environments and debilitating conditions of service in the last year’s.

While stating that to fix Nigeria the government must first fix the universities, the ASUU President noted that the university system in the country has not been spared from the whirlwind of policy misadventures and orchestrated befuddlement of the polity.

He said: “It is noted that the government has made promises on some of these issues. The government agreed to mainstream the EAA into the salaries with the creation of Irregular Allowance as a budget line in the 2026 Budget, after the release of Fifty Billion for backlog and budgeting Twenty-nine Billion for payment of 2025 Earned Academic Allowances.

“Similarly, the government also agreed to release One Hundred and Fifty Billion Naira as re-vitalization fund within four weeks with effect from April, 2025.

“However, we are still waiting for government to fulfil these promises. The Union has also reached an understanding with Yayale Ahmed-led Committee, with the review of the report of the Nimi Briggs-led FGN-ASUU Renegotiation Committee in December 2024. Again, ASUU members have been left in limbo; waiting for the signing of an Agreement five months after!

“Delegates at the UNIBEN NDC exhaustively evaluated government’s disposition in resolving outstanding issues with the Union and expressed regrets that nothing has significantly changed in the last two years.

“The irreducible minimum that can guarantee industrial harmony in the Nigeria University System (NUS) is for government to speedily address all outstanding issues including conclusion of the renegotiation of 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, payment of the withheld-three-and-half months’ salaries, release of the backlog of promotion arrears, payment of withheld salaries of sabbatical/part-time lecturers on account of not signing into the discredited IPPIS, and addressing the unjust victimization of ASUU leaders and members in some state universities.

“Beyond these, we demand a faithful implementation of all issues arising from our previous Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and Memoranda of Action (MoAs) government signed with ASUU since 2013.”

Speaking further, Piwuna alleged that the funds meant to be channelled to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), were being diverted to provide loan to students of tertiary institutions through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

“The TETFund resources that should solely be channelled into this process are under threat of diversion and misapplication by the government agents. The diversion of TETFund money into NELFUND is a graphic example.

“We are not very happy about it and ASUU has made its position clear. They can offer scholarships and grants to students, why loans? We don’t think it’s helpful to give them loans we think they should convert it to scholarships and grants.”

The union also frowned at the continued payment of salaries through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation using GIFMIS (abridged IPPIS) and expenditures using Treasury Single Account (TSA) system, as against the understanding reached with ASUU

“Overtly and covertly, Nigeria’s public universities are being turned into theatres of war during selection of principal officers while vested interests wantonly make incursions into the affairs of the universities for economic, political and sundry benefits.

“We call on all political actors and bureaucrats involved in these and related acts to retrace their steps as ASUU will not fold its arms and watch the continued derailment of our universities from their primary objects of quality teaching, research and community service.”

While regretting the worsening state of insecurity in the country, the ASUU President expressed worry that “without peace and stability, development remains a mirage!”

On the vicious cycle of backwardness and underdevelopment that has engulfed the country, ASUU while insisting on the critical role of education in driving empowerment, values, innovation and creativity, said there was an urgent need for an education summit,

“There is a need for an education summit where we sit together to deliberate on the sort of education system that we want. One of the major challenges of our public education is funding. All our agreements with the Nigeria government, to-date, have always made well thought-out recommendations on education funding and we call on the ruling class to create the environment for genuine engagement with Nigerian academics along this trajectory.”

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