…union rejects Coventry University Plan slams welfare neglect, warns of “looming national crisis”

By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has issued a blistering attack on the Federal Government over what it described as the distorted implementation of the 2025 FG-ASUU Agreement, warning that growing frustration among lecturers could trigger a fresh wave of industrial unrest across Nigerian universities.

Rising from its National Executive Council, or NEC, meeting held at the Modibbo Adama University, Yola, the union accused both federal and state governments of failing to honour critical aspects of the landmark agreement signed in December 2025, despite promises to restore stability to the nation’s tertiary education system.

Addressing the media after the meeting, ASUU president Prof. Christopher Piwuna said the momentum generated by the agreement was “fast waning” due to the government’s failure to properly implement key welfare and funding provisions.

“The increasing frustration occasioned by the seeming government’s disinterestedness in the welfare of Nigerian academics is brewing a pent-up anger which could erupt into a new wave of industrial unrest if not addressed,” the union warned.

ASUU condemned the Federal Government for failing to inaugurate the Implementation Monitoring Committee, IMC, which it said was designed to prevent bureaucratic sabotage and ensure faithful execution of the agreement.

The union alleged that federal universities were selectively implementing components of lecturers’ entitlements, including Consolidated Academic Tool Allowances, CATA; Earned Academic Allowances, EAA; and Professorial Allowances, PA, while many state governments had allegedly ignored the agreement entirely.

“Vice-Chancellors are picking and choosing what to pay,” ASUU said, insisting that all allowances ought to have been mainstreamed into lecturers’ salary packages.

The union also expressed outrage over unresolved welfare issues, including arrears of the 25–35 per cent salary award, promotion arrears, salary shortfalls linked to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, unremitted third-party deductions and the controversial withholding of three and a half months’ salaries following the 2022 ASUU strike.

According to the union, continued neglect of lecturers’ welfare was dangerous for national development.

“No country can progress when the welfare issues of its academics are left unattended,” ASUU declared, accusing the government of treating scholars “like menial workers”.

The union equally lamented the plight of retired lecturers, alleging that many pensioners from state universities were owed years of pension arrears, while pension harmonisation processes had allegedly been stalled.

Beyond welfare matters, ASUU launched a fierce criticism of several recent education policies introduced by the Federal Ministry of Education under Minister Tunji Alausa.

The union rejected the government’s proposed Transnational Education (TNE) framework that would establish a campus of Coventry University in Nigeria, describing the move as “neo-colonial” and a dangerous step towards the recolonisation of Nigeria’s education sector.

“We are at a loss as to why the government cannot make its own universities globally competitive enough to attract foreign students and scholars,” ASUU stated.

The union also faulted the minister’s decision to reverse the mother-tongue policy in favour of English language instruction in early childhood education, insisting the move contradicted global research and international best practices.

ASUU further opposed the compulsory enrolment of academics into the Nigeria Education Repository Databank (NERD), warning that the directive could violate digital privacy rights and undermine academic autonomy.

On the controversial proposal to scrap some courses considered “irrelevant”, particularly in the humanities and social sciences, the union accused the government of oversimplifying Nigeria’s unemployment crisis.

“Every course in the university has its utilitarian values,” ASUU argued, insisting that disciplines such as philosophy, linguistics, religious studies and fine arts remained critical for developing creativity, critical thinking and communication skills.

The union vowed to resist any attempt to arbitrarily scrap academic programmes in Nigerian universities.

ASUU also decried what it described as widespread maladministration within universities, accusing some vice-chancellors and governing councils of financial mismanagement, irregular appointments and introducing questionable positions such as “Professor of Practice” and “Diaspora Professors” to favour cronies.

In a strongly worded intervention, the union condemned the Niger State Government’s alleged attempt to reclaim the Bosso campus of the Federal University of Technology, FUT, Minna, decades after the land had been allocated to the institution.

ASUU warned that such a move could create a dangerous precedent capable of threatening federal-state collaboration in higher education development.

The union also painted a grim picture of Nigeria’s broader socio-economic condition, warning that worsening insecurity, poverty, inflation and political tension ahead of the 2027 general elections were pushing the country towards what it called “a looming national crisis of monumental proportion”.

ASUU said over 133 million Nigerians were currently trapped in multidimensional poverty, while insecurity across different regions continued to devastate livelihoods and disrupt education.

The union appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all stakeholders to urgently address the outstanding issues to preserve industrial peace in universities and prevent another prolonged disruption of academic activities.

While reiterating its willingness to continue dialogue, ASUU disclosed that its NEC had directed that an emergency meeting be convened within weeks to reassess the situation and determine the next line of action.

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