The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed deep frustration over the Federal Government’s continued delay in addressing longstanding issues affecting university lecturers, stating that its members are tired of “words without action.”
ASUU made the remarks amid ongoing discussions surrounding a counter-offer to the 2009 agreement—its most recent formal deal with the Federal Government—currently being reviewed by a committee led by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Abel Enitan.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, had on Thursday announced that a high-level technical team had been formed to finalise a revised proposal, with the aim of presenting a clean and acceptable document to ASUU.
“We’ve decided on a counter-proposal to them. We now close by setting up a high-level technical team to clean up our proposal, come with a clean document,” Alausa told journalists during a press briefing.
ASUU, however, made it clear that it will only accept the revised offer if it addresses the core demands of its members—chief among them improved welfare and working conditions.
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ASUU National President, Chris Piwuna, stated: “I truly hope they will come up with something tangible. Our members are tired of words and no action.”
The union has consistently called for a comprehensive review of the 2009 agreement, which outlines various commitments related to lecturers’ salaries, academic funding, and infrastructure development. Despite repeated negotiations and industrial actions over the years, ASUU argues that the government’s failure to honour key parts of the agreement has left Nigeria’s public university system in disrepair.
While the Federal Government’s decision to revisit the agreement has sparked cautious optimism, ASUU leaders remain sceptical until firm commitments are made and implemented.
With the new academic session approaching, stakeholders are closely watching the outcome of these talks, as failure to reach a resolution could lead to renewed industrial action and further disruption of Nigeria’s public university calendar.
