By Peter.
In a no-holds-barred virtual interview on The Toyin Falola Interviews, the President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Chris Piwuna, accused the Federal Government of treating education like an afterthought — a sector that only matters to the Minister of Education.
“When ASUU declares a strike, the Minister of Finance sees it as the Minister of Education’s problem. The same goes for Science and Technology. But if they understood that economic growth depends on a skilled workforce, they’d own the crisis together,” Piwuna said.
The session, titled “A Conversation with the ASUU President,” aired on Sunday and featured heavyweights like historian Prof. Toyin Falola, Prof. Francis Egbokhare (UI), Prof. Sherrifdeen Tella (economist), and NLC President Joe Ajaero.
Why Strikes Keep Happening
ASUU’s decades-long battle with the government centers on:
- Broken promises from the 2009 FGN–ASUU Agreement
- Unpaid promotion arrears
- Withheld salaries and deductions
- Crumbling infrastructure
- Chronic underfunding of public universities
Piwuna didn’t mince words:
“We see education as a public good. They see it as a profit venture. That’s the root of the problem.”
He pointed to growing calls — even from former top officials — to divert TETFund resources to private universities.
“TETFund has become a marketplace. Self-interest and inflated contracts have replaced public service,” he charged.
Leadership Failure Inside Universities
Prof. Francis Egbokhare pulled no punches either:
“Our universities are rotting from poor leadership — especially governing councils. You see badly built structures in an age of sustainable design. We can’t fix the system while being part of its decay.”
But he offered a way forward:
“It’s not just about begging for funds. Let government agencies hire universities for research, training, and consultancy. That’s real revenue.”
Research Neglect = National Underdevelopment
Economist Prof. Sherrifdeen Tella linked Nigeria’s stagnation to one key failure:
“Better seeds, higher yields — that’s research. But we’ve abandoned it. Farmers benefit from academics, yet the system starves them.”
Beyond Universities: Fix the Foundation
NLC President Joe Ajaero urged a broader view:
“ASUU fights hard, but we must also save primary and secondary schools. Autonomy won’t matter if the pipeline is broken.”
What’s Next? ASUU’s Warning
With the union’s National Executive Council meeting ongoing in Taraba State, Piwuna revealed:
“Negotiations are almost done. In one or two weeks, we’ll make a final statement. But the salary offer on the table? Unacceptable. We’ll fight it to the end.”
He painted a grim picture of academic life:
- Lecturers sleeping in offices with their families
- No space for innovation or endowments
- Billionaires building private universities but ignoring public ones
“We reached out — even under the last administration. Nothing. We’re still stuck in the 17th century, not even the 18th,” he lamented.
The Bottom Line
Until education is seen as a national priority — not a ministerial headache — strikes, decay, and brain drain will continue.
ASUU is drawing a line in the sand. The government’s move in the coming weeks will decide whether Nigerian universities survive… or slide further into crisis.
Stay tuned.
