The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on President Bola Tinubu to sign and implement the renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement.
The Union emphasized that this move, in accordance with the collective bargaining principles of the International Labour Organization Convention, is crucial to preventing the imminent collapse of public universities in Nigeria.
Prof. Adelaja Odukoya, the Lagos zone Coordinator of ASUU, made this appeal during a press briefing at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State. He highlighted that the failure to act on the agreement, which was concluded in 2021, has stretched the Union’s patience to its limit.
ASUU warned that without prompt action, the ongoing unfavorable conditions of service might force lecturers into another round of industrial action. The Union is seeking a direct interface with President Tinubu to address the myriad issues plaguing the nation’s public universities.
Key issues raised by Prof. Odukoya include poor funding and the unchecked proliferation of state and federal universities, irregular payment of staff salaries, and inadequate infrastructure. He criticized the trend of turning university establishment into political constituency projects without adequate funding.
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Furthermore, the Union condemned the Federal Government’s withholding of three and a half months’ salaries and arrears of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) since 2020. ASUU also reiterated its rejection of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), labeling it a “cesspit of centralised corruption.”
Prof. Odukoya was joined at the press conference by branch chairmen from seven universities, including the University of Lagos, Lagos State University, and Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta.
The Union’s appeal to the President is a plea for immediate intervention to ensure the sustainability and improvement of Nigeria’s public university system.
