New ASUU president, Piwuna laments state of the nation,
By Joseph Erunke, Abuja
The recently elected
president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Prof. Chris Piwuna, Friday, lamented what he called the declining fortunes of university education and its implications for Nigeria’s yearnings for transformative change and lasting development
Prof. Chris Piwuna, in his speech at a press conference at the Festus Iyayi National Secretariat Complex of ASUU, University of Abuja, after taking over the mantle of leadership from his predecessor, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, regretted that, “ordinary citizens of our country have become the victims of prolonged political manipulations and economic exploitation by the ruling class and their foreign sponsors.”
According to him, “The university system has not been spared from the whirlwind of policy misadventures and orchestrated befuddlement of the polity. The governments of Nigeria, at the Federal and State levels, merely pay lip-service to the business of education in general and the welfare of university academics in particular. It is saddening that the tortuous journey of renegotiating the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement has continued endlessly since 2017.
“The last push, which got frozen again after some recommendations by both parties were made for government’s consideration and approval in December 2024, is yet to be concluded. Our members in the last two years or so have had to contend with enormous challenges arising from hostile work environments and debilitating conditions of service,”he said.
Speaking on the status of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, Prof. Piwuna said the level of its implementation has not been encouraging,even as he admitted that “a few of the issues are partially implemented”,adding that “a large number of issues still remain unaddressed.”
These,according him,include: “Conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement based on Nimi Briggs Committee’s Draft Agreement of 2021; Release of withheld three-and-half months salaries on account of the 2022 strike action;Release of unpaid salaries of staff on sabbatical, part-time and adjunct appointments due to the application of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS); and release of outstanding third-party deductions such as check-off dues and cooperative contributions”.
Others are the “funding for revitalization of public universities; Payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA); Proliferation of universities by federal and state governments; Non-constitution of some universities’ governing councils; and Adoption of University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) in place of IPPIS”.
Speaking further, he said:”It is noted that the government has made promises on some of these issues. The government agreed to mainstream the EAA into the salaries with the creation of “Irregular Allowance” as a budget line in the 2026 Budget, after the release of Fifty Billion for backlog and budgeting Twenty-nine Billion for payment of 2025 Earned Academic Allowances. Similarly, the government also agreed to release One Hundred and Fifty Billion Naira as revitalization funds within four weeks with effect from April, 2025.
“However, we are still waiting for the government to fulfil these promises. The Union has also reached an understanding with the Yayale Ahmed-led Committee, with the review of the report of the Nimi Briggs-led FGN-ASUU Renegotiation Committee in December 2024. Again, ASUU members have been left in limbo; waiting for the signing of an Agreement five months after! Delegates at the UNIBEN NDC exhaustively evaluated the government’s disposition in resolving outstanding issues with the union and expressed regrets that nothing has significantly changed in the last two years.
“The irreducible minimum that can guarantee industrial harmony in the Nigeria University System (NUS) is for government to speedily address all outstanding issues including conclusion of the renegotiation of 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, payment of the withheld-three-and-half months’ salaries, release of the backlog of promotion arrears, payment of withheld salaries of sabbatical/part-time lecturers on account of not signing into the discredited IPPIS, and addressing the unjust victimization of ASUU leaders and members in some state universities. Beyond these, we demand a faithful implementation of all issues arising from our previous Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and Memoranda of Action (MoAs) government signed with ASUU since 2013.”
He accused state universities of continuing in what he called “onslaught” against ASUU members over entitlements.
He acknowledged that some issues in places like Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Abia State University, Uturu, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, and Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki have been addressed but regretted that a number of other issues are still outstanding about the entitlements of ASUU members.
“ Again, and sadly, the unconscionable persecution of our members still persists in full swing at the Kogi State University, Anyigba and Lagos State University, Ojo.
“ASUU hereby calls on the state governors and visitors to these universities to, without further hesitation, resolve the lingering issues and reinstate our members without further delay in the interest of justice and industrial peace”, he said.
Piwuna said some recent developments in Nigeria’s public universities are of grave concern to the union.
He said:” We are discomfited by the ongoing attempts to completely erode the autonomy of public universities by the political class and the bureaucrats. The following are some examples:Non-adherence to extant laws in the processes associated with appointment of principal officers in universities resulting in endless crises as recorded at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, University of Abuja, Alvan Ikoku University, Owerri and Admiralty University, Ibuzor.
“Undue interference by the Office of Head of Service, Ministries, Federal Character Commission and National Assembly in the administration of the Universities contrary to the Laws governing the institutions.
“Continued payment of salaries through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation using GIFMIS (abridged IPPIS) and expenditures using Treasury Single Account (TSA) system as against the understanding reached with ASUU. Overtly and covertly, Nigeria’s public universities are being turned into theatres of war during selection of principal officers while vested interests wantonly make incursions into the affairs of the universities for economic, political and sundry benefits. We call on all political actors and bureaucrats involved in these and related acts to retrace their steps as ASUU will not fold its arms and watch the continued derailment of our universities from their primary objects of quality teaching, research and community service.”
Speaking on the state of the nation, the new ASUU helmsman said Nigeria is currently at the crossroads as an underdeveloped country.
He said:”A land of boundless promise and monumental opportunities is paradoxically confronted with staggering contradictions. More than six decades after independence, the nation continues to wrestle with political instability, governance crises, multi-dimensional insecurity, economic uncertainties and neoliberal imperialist assaults, social discontent and disequilibrium, debilitating and suffocating mass poverty, and most glaringly, a bastardized, debased, underfunded and deteriorating education sector.
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By Joseph Erunke, Abuja The recently electedpresident of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Prof. Chris Piwuna, Friday, lamented what he called the declining fortunes of university education and its implications for Nigeria’s yearnings for transformative change and lasting development Prof. Chris Piwuna, in his speech at a press conference at the Festus Iyayi […]
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