By Rosemary Etim Bassey
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on the Federal Government to significantly increase funding for public universities, stressing that proper investment in education remains the only sustainable solution to end frequent strikes and improve Nigeria’s position in global university rankings.
Speaking before the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund at the National Assembly on Friday, ASUU President, Chris Piwuna, said inadequate and inconsistent funding continues to cripple Nigeria’s higher education system.
Piwuna explained that the union’s ongoing two-week warning strike was a result of unresolved issues that date back to 2011. “We engaged the Federal Government for eight years without tangible results,” he said.
He noted that the Yayale Ahmed Committee report, submitted in December 2024 to address several challenges facing universities, had been ignored until the latest industrial action began.
According to him, ASUU’s key demands, sustainable funding, improved conditions of service, revitalisation of public universities, and academic autonomy remain unresolved.
Piwuna challenged the Senate Committee to push the Federal Government to properly fund universities. “Try us. Push the government to fund universities adequately, and you’ll see the end of strikes and the improvement of our universities in global rankings,” he told the senators.
He disclosed that although the National Assembly approved ₦150 billion for universities, only ₦50 billion had so far been released. Even that amount, he said, remains stuck at the Ministry of Education, where plans are allegedly underway to share it among universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, despite separate allocations for each institution.
He insisted that the ₦150 billion was specifically approved for universities and should be used for that purpose alone.
ASUU also raised alarm over what it described as attempts by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to take over part of the 10,000 hectares of land belonging to the University of Abuja.
“We are worried because the University of Abuja is located in the FCT. Anyone serious about higher education should be focused on developing it. If the minister wants land, he should look in the opposite direction,” the union said.
Piwuna appealed to the Senate to intervene and ensure that the university’s land remains untouched.
ASUU declared its two-week warning strike on October 13 to protest the Federal Government’s failure to address lingering issues, including poor working conditions, the implementation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, the release of withheld salaries, and the revitalisation of public universities.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has maintained that it has met most of ASUU’s demands and remains open to continued dialogue to prevent further disruptions.
Following the commencement of the strike, the government also reaffirmed the enforcement of its “no work, no pay” policy for all striking lecturers.
ASUU, however, insisted that only adequate funding and genuine commitment to education reform would bring lasting peace to Nigeria’s university system.
