ASUU Rejects 35% Salary Increase, Demands Proper Funding For Varsities

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has dismissed the Federal Government’s proposed 35% salary increment for university teachers, insisting that it fell far below what is required to address years of neglect in the university system.

Lagos Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Prof. Adesola Nassir, made the position known during a press briefing on Tuesday at the Lagos State University of Education (LASUED).

He described the government’s offer as “wretched,” warning that it would still leave Nigerian academics among the lowest-paid in Africa. According to him, the proposed adjustment failed to reflect current economic realities or the professional demands placed on university lecturers.

Nassir argued that the union’s long-standing concerns remained unresolved, stressing that meaningful reform must include significant salary restructuring and a commitment to adequate funding of public universities.

He recalled that under the 2009 agreement, a professor earned the equivalent of about $3,000 monthly — a standard that has since eroded due to inflation and persistent underfunding.

ASUU maintainec that without genuine intervention, the quality and stability of Nigeria’s tertiary education system will continue to deteriorate.