Just In: ASUU Raises New Allegation Against Tinubu's Govt, "Destroying Nigeria's Future"
- ASUU Nsukka Zone accused the Federal Government of deliberately stalling the 2009 agreement renegotiation and endangering Nigeria’s future
- The union rejected the proposed salary structure and warned that failure to conclude talks within one month could trigger a national crisis
- ASUU urged traditional rulers, students, and civil society to pressure government to prioritise education and stop the decline in university funding
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nsukka Zone, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of deliberately jeopardising Nigeria’s future by refusing to conclude the long-delayed renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU–Federal Government Agreement.
Speaking at a press conference held at Benue State University, Makurdi, the Zonal Coordinator, Comrade Christian Opata, said the government’s “insincerity and purposeful delays” pose a serious threat to national development.
Source: Twitter
“The Federal Government is deliberately killing the future of our nation through its lip service to education.
"The slow pace and purposeful delays in concluding the renegotiation portend grave danger for our society," Opata said.
He spoke on behalf of eight universities within the zone, including the University of Nigeria, Nsukka; Benue State University; FUAM Makurdi; ESUT; Kogi State University; FUL Lokoja; FUW Wukari; and the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo.
FG failing to keep agreements, says union
Opata said ASUU had engaged in negotiations and signed agreements with government for over a decade, yet successive administrations had frustrated implementation through selective compliance and calculated delays.
The union criticised officials for “misrepresenting facts” and portraying the payment of arrears and withheld deductions as major concessions.
“It is either the government has lost its records or is deliberately buying time,” he said.
Lecturers reject proposed salary review
The Zonal Coordinator disclosed that ASUU members unanimously rejected the government’s proposed salary structure during their recent National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Taraba State, describing the offer as “a mere drop in the ocean” and even lower than what was rejected in 2022.
Opata warned that if the Federal Government fails to conclude the renegotiation process within the one-month window already given, the university system risks being plunged into another nationwide crisis.
“Our take-home can no longer take us home,” he lamented, adding that a professor’s monthly salary cannot cover a return flight from Lagos to Abuja, while senior lecturers struggle to fund academic publications.
ASUU: Lack of political will, not lack of funds
Citing recent FAAC revenue allocations, ASUU dismissed claims of dwindling funds, insisting that federal and state revenues have increased significantly between 2022 and 2024.
“It is not economic hardship but lack of political will that has stalled the renegotiation process,” Opata said.
The union said only a radical review of lecturers’ welfare and proper funding of universities can stop the growing wave of brain drain.
Union urges public pressure on government
ASUU appealed to traditional rulers, labour groups, students, and civil society organisations to mount pressure on the government to honour its commitments and prioritise public education.
The union stressed that its recent suspension of a warning strike was a gesture of goodwill following appeals from Nigerians, but that government has yet to demonstrate seriousness since dialogue resumed.
“The continued neglect of tertiary education amounts to a deliberate destruction of Nigeria’s future,” Opata warned.
The Nsukka Zone reiterated its readiness to continue pushing for a sustainable solution, insisting that the fate of Nigeria’s education system must not be left to political convenience.
Source: Legit.ng
