The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned that another nationwide strike is imminent unless the federal and state governments urgently address unresolved issues in public universities.
In a statement from its Festus Iyayi National Secretariat Complex, University of Abuja, ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, criticised Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa’s recent assurance that strikes by lecturers were over, calling it “wishful thinking” without tangible government action.
Piwuna said lecturers are working under severe hardship—teaching on empty stomachs, using poorly equipped libraries and laboratories, and struggling to meet personal financial obligations—while being unfairly blamed for producing unemployable graduates.
The union accused successive administrations of violating the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, which should have been renegotiated since 2012. It noted that despite receiving a renegotiated draft from the Yayale Ahmed Committee in December 2024, the government has failed to conclude the process eight months on.
Key demands include improved conditions of service, increased funding, university autonomy, and reforms to the National Universities Commission (NUC) and Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
ASUU also decried political interference in vice-chancellor appointments and condemned the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) as corrupt and discriminatory.
“Our members are tired of empty promises. The time to act is now,” Piwuna declared, urging Nigerians to press the government into preventing another disruption of the university system.