ASUU Warns of Fresh Crisis Over Poor Implementation of 2025 Agreement
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned that the poor implementation of its 2025 agreement with the Federal Government could trigger another round of industrial action across public universities in Nigeria.
ASUU President, Christopher Piwuna, issued the warning on Monday during a news conference held after the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Yola.
Piwuna expressed concern over the Federal Government’s failure to inaugurate the Implementation Monitoring Committee stipulated in the agreement signed with ASUU in December 2025.
According to him, the delay is hindering the effective execution of the agreement and creating inconsistencies in its implementation.
“The government’s failure to inaugurate the Implementation Monitoring Committee is undermining the smooth execution of the 2025 agreement,” he said.
“The absence of the committee has created room for distorted and uncoordinated implementation of the agreement.”
The ASUU president warned that the gains recorded during negotiations could be reversed if the government failed to fully implement all aspects of the agreement.
He alleged that some government agencies and university authorities were selectively implementing parts of the agreement, particularly regarding the payment of lecturers’ allowances.
Piwuna also accused some vice-chancellors of failing to fully implement approved welfare packages for academic staff, while noting that several state governments involved in the negotiations had yet to implement the salary component for lecturers in state-owned universities.
He listed unresolved issues affecting lecturers to include withheld salaries, promotion arrears, salary shortfalls, and unremitted third-party deductions.
According to him, the continued delay in resolving the issues is worsening frustration among lecturers in public universities nationwide.
Piwuna called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and ensure all outstanding welfare concerns are addressed in order to maintain industrial harmony in the university system.
The ASUU president also criticised the proposed National Research and Innovation Development Fund announced by the Federal Government, arguing that it falls short of the provisions contained in the agreement with the union.
He said the agreement recommended that at least one per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) should be allocated to research funding.
Piwuna further rejected the Federal Government’s proposal to establish a campus of Coventry University in Nigeria under the Transnational Education framework.
He described the initiative as “neo-colonial” and warned that it could weaken Nigeria’s tertiary education system and local universities.
The ASUU president also opposed plans to scrap certain university courses considered irrelevant, insisting that all academic programmes contribute to national development and economic growth.
He disclosed that ASUU would convene an emergency NEC meeting in the coming weeks to review developments and determine its next course of action.
