ASUU Accuses FG of Delay Tactics over 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, Warns of Strike Action

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), yesterday, accused the federal government of deliberately foot-dragging in handling long-standing issues affecting public universities, which included the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement.
ASUU warned that another round of industrial action might be inevitable if urgent steps were not taken to resolve the issues.
The Ibadan Zonal Coordinator of the union, Professor Biodun Olaniran, while addressing a press conference at the University of Ibadan, ASUU Secretariat, said the relative peace in public universities in the country in recent months was largely due to the union’s patience and expectation that government would honour its promises.
The Ibadan zone of ASUU comprises the University of Ibadan, University of Ilorin, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osun State University, Kwara State University, and Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo.
Olaniran warned that no meaningful progress had been recorded in the agreements with the federal government, stating that the union is compelled to raise an alarm regarding the growing signs of industrial unrest within the university system.
He said, “The relative calm experienced in our universities over the past few months is largely due to our union’s hope that the government would, this time, honour its promises and take decisive steps to resolve the long-standing issues that have plagued the system.
“The Ibadan Zone of ASUU, in particular, is drawing the attention of Nigerians once again to the urgent need to prevent another avoidable round of industrial crisis in public universities.
“This looming threat is fuelled by the federal government’s piecemeal and frustrating handling of unresolved matters affecting the Nigerian public universities.
“While these issues have been thoroughly documented in our numerous press statements over the years, for the purpose of this engagement, we will revisit some of them here with necessary updates.”
The union highlighted several outstanding demands, including the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, sustainable funding and revitalisation of universities, restoration of university autonomy, payment of withheld salaries, arrears of promotions, and mainstreaming of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA).
Olaniran lamented that despite a draft agreement reached in 2021 with the government’s own renegotiation committee, the authorities had refused to sign and implement the document.
He added that the Alhaji Yayale Ahmed report, submitted in February 2025, which addressed all contentious issues, was also being ignored.
On funding, he faulted the federal government for allocating just seven per cent of the 2025 national budget to education, far below the UNESCO-recommended 15–26 per cent.
Olaniran stated, “Our universities are plagued by underfunding, decaying infrastructure, poorly equipped laboratories, and deplorable hostels. None of our public universities rank among the top 1,000 globally.”
He also condemned what he described as the victimisation of ASUU members at Lagos State University (LASU), Kogi State University (KSU), and Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), where union leaders faced trumped-up charges and illegal withholding of salaries.
On university autonomy, the ASUU boss decried the unlawful dissolution of governing councils, imposition of political appointees, and the erosion of Senate powers through the National Universities Commission’s centralised curriculum.
He demanded the release of the three and a half months’ salaries withheld during the 2022 strike, as well as arrears from the 25 to 35 per cent wage award announced by the government, but yet to be implemented.
The union also described the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) as fraudulent, citing unremitted third-party deductions and the non-payment of promotion arrears for over four years in many universities.
Olaniran urged Nigerians to prevail on the government to act decisively, stressing that lecturers can no longer accept endless delays.
He said, “We are peace-loving, but we will not continue to watch our members’ welfare sacrificed to the government’s delay tactics. Another crisis in the university system can only be prevented if the federal government honours its commitments.”