ASUU Flays FG Over Varsity Rankings

​The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has dismissed the Federal Government’s celebration of the 29 Nigerian institutions featured in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) rankings, labeling the minor numerical increase as a distraction from deep systemic decay.

​Speaking on the recent global standing, ASUU President Professor Chris Piwuna argued that moving from 24 to 29 ranked institutions is a hollow victory that mirrors a tortoise’s sluggish crawl rather than genuine institutional progress.

​”Our union is embarrassed that we have moved just five spaces, and that’s what we’re celebrating as a country,” Piwuna remarked, emphasizing that out of the 29 institutions, only a tiny fraction break into the competitive top 1,000 global threshold.

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​Stifling Research and High Costs

​The union leader underscored that global university rankings heavily weigh research impact, learning environments, and graduate employability—areas where Nigerian tertiary institutions remain severely handicapped.

​According to Piwuna, academics face crippling financial hurdles just to showcase scholarly work globally. Publishing in high-impact Q1 international journals averages around $2,000 per paper, an insurmountable barrier for lecturers whose monthly earnings are rapidly eroded by surging inflation and transportation costs.

​Furthermore, the union pointed to chronic staffing deficits as a primary driver of academic decline. Piwuna noted that recommended benchmarks—such as an ideal staff-to-student ratio of 1 to 15 depending on the discipline, alongside a strict staff mix ratio—are routinely flouted, resulting in excess workloads and periodic accreditation threats for professional disciplines like medicine.

​Industrial Tensions Loom

​Addressing lingering friction with the government, the ASUU president clarified that recent industrial threats stem from unresolved disparities between ministerial pronouncements and the actual liquidity challenges faced by university vice-chancellors regarding allowances and funding releases.

​While commending the various state governors who have adopted and implemented the 2025 agreement, the union issued a stern warning to non-compliant state administrations, insisting that genuine reform requires tangible funding and structural overhaul rather than rhetorical self-praise.