ASUU raises alarm as 309 professors exit Nigeria’s universities

…blames govt’s neglect

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised fresh concerns over what it described as the “gradual collapse” of Nigeria’s public universities, revealing that no fewer than 309 professors have left the country’s university system since the union’s last strike.

The disclosure was made during a town hall meeting organised by the ASUU Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) branch at the institution’s City Campus on Saturday, where academics, students, civil society leaders, and the media gathered to discuss the state of higher education in Nigeria.

Speaking at the meeting, the ASUU Zonal Chairman for Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, and Katsina States, Professor Abubakar Sabo, lamented that poor working conditions, unpaid entitlements, and government insincerity had driven hundreds of senior academics out of the country.

“From the last action we had until now, we lost about 309 professors who left the public universities—some to private universities within Nigeria, others to the UK, Saudi Arabia, Cameroon, and beyond,” he said.

“Our intellectual breadth has been driven out of the public universities because the conditions of service no longer make it possible for many to stay and teach.”

Sabo, who described the government’s approach to university funding as “deceptive and frustrating,” accused the Federal Government of failing to implement critical aspects of previously signed agreements despite several rounds of renegotiation.

“The committee headed by Alhaji Yayale Ahmed submitted its report since January 2025, yet nothing has been done. We gave a two-week ultimatum, and when the heat became intense, they started calling us—only to invite other unions like polytechnics and colleges of education to complicate the process,” he said.

According to him, ASUU’s demands centre on improved funding, respect for university autonomy, implementation of agreements on earned academic allowances, and better conditions of service to curb the ongoing brain drain.

Earlier in his opening remarks, Prof. Muhammad Nurudeen Almustapha, Chairperson of ASUU-UDUS, said the meeting was part of efforts to awaken public consciousness about the worsening condition of Nigerian universities.

“Over the years, ASUU has, unfortunately, become synonymous with strikes and closures. This is because, after each agreement, there’s little or no follow-up by the government to honour its commitments until another crisis erupts,” Almustapha said.

He expressed disappointment that despite over a year of negotiations and consultations, the government had yet to act on the Yayale Ahmed Committee’s recommendations, describing the situation as a cycle of “broken promises and dashed hopes.”

The event drew participants from academia, civil society organisations, student bodies, traditional institutions, and the media, all expressing fears that unless urgent steps are taken, Nigeria’s public universities risk losing their relevance.

Prof. Sabo warned that ASUU might have no choice but to “apply other measures” if the government continues to ignore the plight of university lecturers.

“We have been patient long enough,” he declared. “Our primary responsibility is to salvage public universities. Until the government does the needful, we will not fold our arms while the system collapses.”(Nigerian Tribune)