The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a critical final warning to the Federal Government, threatening to resume a nationwide strike if lecturers' demands remain unmet before their one-month ultimatum expires.
Imminent Industrial Action
Speaking during a press conference in Kano on Monday, Comrade Abdulkadir Muhammad, the Zonal Coordinator, revealed that the one-month deadline given to the government is rapidly approaching its conclusion. The union leadership expressed deep frustration with the Federal Government's sluggish approach to renegotiating agreements designed to improve Nigeria's public university system.
Representatives from multiple institutions including Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Bayero University Kano (BUK), Kaduna State University (KASU), Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology (ADUSTECH), Federal University Dutse (FUD), Northwest University (NWU), and Sule Lamido University (SLUK) attended the crucial meeting where this decision was communicated.
Government's Failure to Commit
Muhammad lamented what he described as deliberate tactics by government officials to undermine the renegotiation process and mislead the public about the actual state of engagements between both parties. "Our hope for a holistic and timely resolution of the issues is increasingly being dashed," he told journalists gathered at the press briefing.
The lecturers had initially suspended their warning strike in October, providing the Federal Government with a month-long window to address their concerns. These demands primarily focus on improving welfare packages for academic staff and creating a more conducive teaching and learning environment across Nigerian universities.
Systemic Issues and Brain Drain
During its National Executive Council meeting held at Taraba State University on November 8 and 9, ASUU leadership voiced strong dissatisfaction with the slow pace of negotiations. Muhammad emphasized that the Federal Government has demonstrated insufficient commitment to enhancing lecturers' welfare or tackling the fundamental factors driving brain drain from Nigerian universities.
"What government has offered will neither improve working conditions nor attract scholars from abroad," he stated bluntly, highlighting the gravity of the situation.
In addition to these concerns, ASUU has called for an immediate moratorium on establishing new state universities, noting that many governors create institutions without ensuring adequate funding mechanisms. This practice has contributed significantly to the ongoing challenges facing higher education in Nigeria.
The potential strike action adds to ASUU's extensive history of industrial actions, which have seen Nigerian public universities experience over four years of cumulative shutdowns during the past 23 years through 16 separate strikes.
