From Joseph Uchenna, in Makurdi
The Academic staff Union of Universities, ASUU Nsukka zone has accused the Federal Government of deliberately killing the future of the nation through its lip service to the education sector especially tertiary education.
The zone comprises of 8 universities including Benue State University, BSU, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, FUAM, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, FUHSO, Kogi State University, KSU, Federal University Lokoja, FUL, Federal University Wukari, FUW and University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN.
Adrressing the media on Thursday in Makurdi over the delay in conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU,/Federal Government of Nigeria, FGN agreement, the Zonal Co-ordinator Comrade Christian Opata who accused the FG of widening the trust deficit by engaging in tactic of deceit.
Comrade Opata said the insincerity on the part of government, the slow pace and deliberate delay in concluding the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, portenda grave danger for the country.
It should be noted that ASUU since 2009 have been agitating for increased funding of universities, improved infrasturcture, increased salary components as well as University autonomy especially in area of appointing of the Vice Chancellor.
The Zonal Co-ordinator also, frowned at the attitude of the Federal government to hide under the guise of officialdom to brazenly and unashamedly jettison the agreement or implement aspects they deem fit halfway.
Said he, “the insincerity on the part of Federal government forced our union to embark on several press conferences and protest rallies across the zones and branches of our union in August 2025. All these were targeted at averting strike actions.
“However the FGN did not consider it necessary to act and prevent the strike. The Minister for Education Dr Tunji Alausa resorted to propaganda to discredit our union. First, he enthused that there was no agreement between ASUU and FG. Three days later, he admitted that there was an agreement and then said ‘we have addressed every single request by ASUU, there is no need for the strike and we are pleading with them to go back to school’.
“These type of statement raises doubts about the sincerity of FG thereby forcing ASUU to reluctantly but seriously consider the strike action”.
Comrade Opata said ASUU National Executive Council, NEC after its meeting on October 21st,2025, resolved that even though the offer from the government were grossly insufficient, it concluded that the objective has been partly achieved which informed the union decision to review the strike to allow for a conducive atmosphere for further engagement between the union and FGN.
“This was to demonstrate our respect for the massive show of goodwill and support by our students and their parents, the media, the Nigeria Labor Congress, NLC and other well meaning Nigerians who have mediated during the strike and continue to do so.
“Consequently, NEC resolved to suspend the warning strike to reciprocate the overwhelming support of Nigerians. To arrive at that decision, NEC believed a one-month window would be sufficient to conclude renegotiation if this gesture was reciprocated with good faith by the government. It is now the responsibility of the government to take advantage of this opportunity to quickly resolve all issues in order not to keep our children out of school.
Continuing, he said, members at the last NEC meeting held at the Taraba State University Jalingo, Taraba State further reviewed the progress made in the renegotiation since the suspension of the warning strike about two (2) weeks ago and rejected the proposed salary increment of 35 percent as a mere drop in the ocean that is not capable of achieving the desired reversal of the brain drain syndrome which has bedeviled University education in the country for decades. Worse of it all is that the offer is below what the union rejected in 2022”.
While stressing that education remains the bedrock of any society that deserves special attention especially in Nigeria with deficit in education infrastructure, Comrade Opata averred that contrary to claims of paucity of funds and economic downturn, evidences have shown that there has been quantum leap in the revenue profile of both states and the FG noting that in 2022,accirding to data from Federal Accounts Allocation Committee, the States received a total of 3.92 trillion naira, the figure for 2024 was 5.81 trillion naira, an increase of over 62 percent.
He said FG received 3.42 trillion naira in 2022 and 4.65 trillion naira in 2024 representing an increase of 70 percent.
“The union is once again calling on all traditional rulers, leaders, students, NLC and civil society organisations to urge the government to do the right thing and give lecturers a living wage as out take-home cannot no longer take us home” he passionately appealed.
