The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nsukka Zone, has accused the Federal Government of deliberately delaying and showing insincerity in concluding the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU/FGN Agreement.
Speaking on behalf of eight universities, the Zonal Coordinator, Comrade Christian Opata, warned that the government’s failure to utilize the one-month window granted by the union could result in another total shutdown of public universities, thereby deliberately killing the future of our nation.
This follows ASUU’s recent decision to suspend a two-week warning strike, giving the government a limited period to meet its core demands for revitalizing the university system.
The central issue remains the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, which is intended to produce a new salary structure, to replace the Consolidated University Salary Scale, (CONUASS) and address sustainable funding for universities, both of which have been eroded by inflation over the past 16 years.
ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) recently rejected the government’s proposed salary review, describing the offer as “a mere drop in the ocean” and even lower than a proposal rejected in 2022.
The union argued that current monthly pay for a professor can barely cover a return flight from Lagos to Abuja.
The union’s decision to suspend the October warning strike was based on appeals from students, parents, and labor groups. However, the deadline is fast approaching without significant movement on the substantive issues.
It is not economic hardship but lack of political will that has stalled the renegotiation process
The union maintains that the crisis is not financial but rooted in a “lack of political will and lip service to education.” They argue that academic staff salaries no longer provide a living wage, leading to an exodus of talent and the degradation of academic standards.
ASUU has urged key stakeholders, including traditional rulers, students, and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), to pressure the government to honour its commitment within the few remaining days of the grace period. Failure to do so will almost certainly lead to a full resumption of industrial action across the eight federal and state universities under the Nsukka Zone and potentially nationwide.
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