On Friday, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) urged President Bola Tinubu to take immediate action to implement the renegotiated agreement with the Federal Government, in line with the Collective Bargaining principles of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention.
ASUU also called on Nigerians, concerned individuals, and global education advocates to press the Tinubu administration and the 36 state governors to take “urgent and positive steps” to stop what they termed the “mindless and deliberate” destruction of the education sector by those in power.
This appeal was made by the Lagos Zone of ASUU during a press conference led by its Zonal Coordinator, Professor Adelaja Odukoya, at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ago Iwoye, Ogun State.
Odukoya emphasized that President Tinubu’s intervention is crucial not only to save the university system from collapse but also to prevent lecturers from being driven into another avoidable strike due to poor working conditions.
He stressed the need for a direct dialogue with the President to address the issues affecting public universities, stating that such intervention would demonstrate Tinubu’s commitment to his campaign promise that no school-age child would be kept at home due to avoidable strikes.
Professor Odukoya outlined the union’s key concerns, which include the Federal Government’s failure to sign and implement the renegotiated agreement with ASUU since 2009, insufficient funding for existing universities, the unchecked establishment of new universities by state governments, and the non-payment of withheld salaries and arrears of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA).
Additional issues include the non-payment of withheld salaries and EAA arrears since 2020 and the adverse impact of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
“Resolving these issues doesn’t require rocket science. They can be immediately addressed if President Tinubu, as Commander-in-Chief, directly engages with our union’s leadership,” Odukoya said. He condemned the refusal of government and ministry officials to migrate the university payroll system away from IPPIS, calling it a sign of corruption and lawlessness within the state.
ASUU also criticized the newly introduced student loan scheme, describing it as a mechanism that burdens youth with debt and fosters suicidal tendencies. The union called for a review and strengthening of the National Universities Commission’s (NUC) laws to counter these negative trends.
“We hope the Government will see reason and heed this call. However, ASUU warns the Nigerian public that the Government should be held responsible if our public universities are again driven into another preventable crisis,” Odukoya concluded.
