Unresolved Issues: Varsity Lecturers Threaten Fresh Showdown With Govt

University lecturers have again warned of an imminent showdown with the Federal Government over unresolved agreements and what they described as a persistent lack of sincerity in negotiations.

The Abuja Zonal Coordinator of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Comrade Professor Adam Al-Amin Abdullahi, stated this while speaking with the press in Abuja yesterday.

Abdullahi, who was represented by the Chairman of ASUU at Yakubu Gowon University (formerly University of Abuja), Dr Sylvanus Ugoh, said the union was compelled to brief Nigerians because “the issues at the heart of our struggle remain far from resolved.”

He recalled that ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) had considered the government’s proposals on 21 October 2025 and accepted them in good faith, despite their being extremely inadequate.

According to him, the decision to suspend the two-week strike on 22 October was taken out of respect for our students, parents, the media, the Nigeria Labour Congress, and other well-meaning Nigerians.

“Nearly four weeks later, it was evident that the Federal Government had not used the goodwill period effectively. The measures taken so far are inadequate and fail to address the fundamental issues. There is no sense of urgency whatsoever.

“We believe that the best way to revitalise public universities is through sincere negotiation rather than propaganda. However, when agreements are broken, payments are withheld, or deception is employed in place of interaction, the Union has a moral and constitutional obligation to defend public education and safeguard its members.

“ASUU will not think twice about using every lawful tool at its disposal if the government continues to trivialise challenges that undermine the existence of public universities. In conclusion, we urge all Nigerians to urge the government to take the necessary steps immediately to prevent another preventable industrial crisis.

“The future of Nigeria’s public universities, as well as the future of our students, cannot be sacrificed on the altar of insincerity. Indifference and political grandstanding,” he said.

A key area of contention, he stated, remained the issue of salaries and conditions of service.

Ugoh noted that the government’s proposed adjustments were merely tokenistic, insisting they were insufficient to halt the ongoing exodus of academics. “These proposals cannot restore honour to the profession, nor can they keep our best minds in the system,” he said.

He acknowledged some recent actions by the government, including the release of certain third-party deductions and partial payment of long-outstanding promotion arrears, but dismissed them as confidence-building measures rather than concrete steps toward resolving the core issues.

According to him, government officials continue to exaggerate these minor moves as significant achievements, adding that financial data shows both federal and state revenues have grown significantly in recent years, contradicting claims of limited resources.

The union maintained that several critical matters remain unresolved, including full renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, the release of withheld salaries for three and a half months, and the payment of outstanding wage awards and unremitted deductions.

“It is unfortunate that the Honourable Minister of Education has repeatedly made untrue public claims suggesting these issues have been resolved. Only a small fraction of what is owed has been released.”

“The combination of unpaid awards, withheld salaries, and chronic underfunding is crippling the university system. Students are suffering through prolonged calendars and disrupted learning. Lecturers are demoralised, and the quality of teaching and research is sinking.”

The Abuja Zone appealed to parents, students, civil society organisations, the National Assembly, and traditional rulers to demand transparency and accountability in the management of education resources. “Nigerians must reject false information and insist on verifiable evidence. This struggle is about the survival of public universities.”

While emphasising the union’s preference for dialogue, Ugoh cautioned that ASUU would not hesitate to act if necessary, urging Nigerians to pressure the government to act swiftly to avoid another avoidable crisis. “The future of our students and the stability of our universities cannot be sacrificed on the altar of insincerity and political grandstanding.