The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has urged the Federal Government to put an end to what it describes as the victimization of its members in public universities across Nigeria. The union called on governments at all levels, particularly the Federal Government, to honor its agreements with ASUU in order to restore normalcy to the country’s public universities.
During a press briefing held at the Nigerian Union of Journalists Press Centre in Sokoto on Saturday, the zonal chairman of ASUU, Prof. Abubakar Yabo, expressed concerns over the Federal Government’s failure to address issues contained in the memorandum of action signed between the union and the government. This agreement, which led to the suspension of ASUU’s 2022 strike, is based on the 2009 Nimi Briggs agreement, yet remains unfulfilled.
Instead of addressing the union’s demands, Yabo accused the government, alongside some state university officials, vice-chancellors, and university governing councils, of engaging in the victimization and emotional harassment of ASUU members.
ASUU further highlighted that the current economic challenges, exacerbated by what it termed “unpopular policies” from various levels of government, have made teaching and learning conditions unbearable in public universities. The union emphasized that the government has a responsibility to safeguard academic freedom and create an environment conducive to education.
The statement also criticized certain university vice-chancellors in the Sokoto zone for what ASUU described as “intoxication with power,” accusing them of resorting to tyranny and victimizing members of the union. ASUU called on the Federal Government to abandon its perceived anti-intellectual stance and to treat public universities with the respect and dignity they deserve by honoring previously made agreements.
Prof. Yabo stressed that the future of Nigeria is closely linked to the survival of its public universities, urging the government to allow the institutions to thrive, stating, “Let them breathe, Mr. President.”
The ASUU Sokoto zone includes Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Umaru Musa Yaradua University, Katsina State University of Science and Technology, Sokoto State University, and Federal University, Dustin-ma, among others.
