The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has long stood as a symbol of intellectual resistance and advocacy for quality education and fair treatment of Nigerian academics. However, successive governments have chosen to treat the Union's demands with disdain, delay tactics, and empty rhetoric. The current administration, led by Minister Sir, is no different. Despite his public assurances that "children will stay in school," the unresolved issues that led to past strikes are abandoned; chief among them are poor remuneration and welfare of Nigerian university lecturers.
The 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement has
now become a ghost that haunts every discussion between ASUU and the
government. This agreement, which should have ushered in a new era of funding,
academic freedom, and welfare improvement, remains largely unimplemented. The
minister’s recent statement that “we will keep our children in school” is no
more than a public relations gimmick. It fails to acknowledge that the
lecturers who teach these children are overworked, underpaid, and consistently
disrespected by a system they serve with honour.
A full Professor in Nigeria earns
less than ₦600,000 a
month; an amount that is shamefully below the entry-level salaries of workers
in certain government agencies like the Nigerian Communications Commission
(NCC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian National Petroleum
Company Limited (NNPC), and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), where some fresh
graduates take home over ₦800,000
monthly.
Yet, lecturers carry an
overwhelming workload: teaching large classes, supervising undergraduate and
postgraduate theses, conducting research, preparing results, and sometimes even
cleaning their own offices due to lack of support staff. No allowances are paid
for excess work, no stipends for departmental meetings, no power supply in
offices, and many must buy and maintain their own laptops. Worse still,
lecturers are required to fund conference attendance and article processing
charges out of pocket to meet promotion requirements, an absurd demand in a
system that claims to value research.
The time for speeches is over.
The strike notice is not a bluff; it is a reality born of decades of
frustration. If this government is truly responsible, it should begin by paying
our 12 months arrears and other allowances, and implementing pay rise. This
government's consistent failure to pay the salary arrears and honour a new
salary structure is not just a breach of agreement, but a betrayal of trust.
Academic staff who committed
their lives to nation-building through education are left in financial ruins,
struggling with stagnant promotions, withheld third-party deductions, and
delayed pensions. How can such a system inspire commitment or excellence? How
can a government that denies its intellectual backbone the dignity of decent
pay claim to be "working well"?
Is this how it works in the
United States Minister Sir?. Is it about initiatives that may look futuristic
on paper but not good on living conditions of academics?. Is it about loans or
dialogue, but not our priority: our due, our welfare (both during service and
in retirement). Isn't it important to honour the recommendations of the Alhaji
Yayale Ahmed Committee and implement it
without further delay?. This is certainly not the time for more talk or further
studies. The solutions are known and documented; what is required now is
action. Failure to implement these recommendations will leave ASUU no choice
but to proceed with strike action at the end of the current deadline. No
retreat, no surrender.
We say NO to the Bretton Woods
policy of anti-human austerity, which imposes harsh economic measures that
undermine the welfare of our academics and citizens alike. Education and
welfare must never be sacrificed at the altar of externally imposed neoliberal
agendas.
Let it be clearly stated: ASUU is
not an enemy of progress. We are willing to dialogue, but we will not be
blackmailed, silenced, or deceived by press statements and summits. The
government must stop using “media talks” as a distraction. We demand a full
focus on staff welfare, not empty gestures.
ASUU has waited patiently since
the inception of these promises, enduring endless delay tactics, hide-and-seek
maneuvers, and hollow assurances. It is painfully clear that this government is
trying to manage the Union until 2027, with the intention of discarding it
afterward. This is much like the neglect witnessed under former President
Buhari (the worst in Nigeria’s history regarding education matters): bury their
heads in the sand and pretend the problem does not exist. This time your 🎮
will not workout.
It is time for action not more
talks Sir. We expect to see your USA-acquired gestures translate into real,
tangible change on the ground. Minister Sir, you must be better than Adamu
Adamu, your predecessor, whose tenure was marked by empty promises and a
failure to deliver.
To SSANU, NASU, and NAAT: Let
this be a clear warning: do not stand aside and wait to join the feast only
when the elephant finally falls. Before that happens, you must unite with ASUU,
fight alongside the group, or risk perishing alone. Solidarity in struggle is
non-negotiable.
Thabo Mbeki once said:
"The future of Africa
depends on the education of her people. Therefore, ASUU is gathering forces to
demand a new salary structure befitting the intellectual giants who shape this
nation’s future. We will not fall for the same strategy of delay and distraction.
By next week the strike begin not to disrupt education but to reclaim the soul
of Nigerian academia.
Solidarity forever.
We stand determined, united, and
ready 💪.
Nuraddeen Danjuma
Bayero University, Kano
07/10/2025
1:10PM
