ASUU Warns of Looming Crisis, Accuses Govt of Deception

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a stern warning of an impending industrial crisis in a press release dated August 9, 2025. The union’s President, Christopher Piwuna, criticized the Nigerian government for its prolonged failure to fulfill outstanding agreements, indicating that another strike looms on the horizon. ASUU conveyed its members’ frustration with the government’s excuses, emphasizing that “Nigerian academics are tired of government’s excuses which have only left them with a long list of Memoranda of Understanding/Memoranda of Action… and kept them talking over the renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement for upward of eight years!” The union stressed that “No memorandum or ‘discussion’ can take the place of a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which fully addresses staff welfare issues and the requisite environment for productive academic work. The time to act is now!”

ValidViewNetwork reports that ASUU also highlighted the dire conditions in Nigerian tertiary institutions, describing a demoralized academic workforce struggling without essential resources. The release outlined that lecturers “teach students on empty stomachs” and conduct research “in libraries and laboratories bereft of essential electronic and physical journals, books, chemicals, and reagents.” The union further lamented the burdens faced by academics, who often engage with communities and agencies “in rickety cars while encumbered by utility bills, children’s fees, house rents, family upkeep, and a legion of other unmet responsibilities.”

The press release condemned the government’s approach to collective bargaining, accusing it of creating deep distrust. It declared, “The flip-flop disposition of successive governments towards collective bargaining has created an atmosphere of distrust which will take extra efforts and energy on the part of the current Federal Government to dispel.” ASUU accused the government of deliberately fostering conditions that make a strike inevitable, adding, “We hear of attracting academics who were forced into seeking a better work environment elsewhere as ‘volunteers’ with the ‘Diaspora Bridge’! On what foundation will the bridge stand? Does this not amount to hypocrisy?”

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In addition to these concerns, ValidViewNetwork reports that ASUU expressed alarm over the politicization of university governance, accusing governing councils of turning universities “into commodities for politicians and contractors in the appointment of Vice Chancellors.” The union argued that this trend undermines merit and scholarship in federal and state universities, further compounding the challenges faced by the academic community.

This press release marks ASUU’s firm stance that dialogue alone is no longer sufficient, signaling rising tensions between the union and government, with a strike action seeming inevitable if demands are not addressed promptly. ValidViewNetwork reports.