Stop Building New Varsities While the Old Ones Are Dying – ASUU Warns FG

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has cautioned the Federal Government against pushing ahead with new universities when existing institutions can barely stay afloat.

The union said the latest approvals contradict the government’s own freeze on establishing new tertiary institutions.

Speaking at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, the ASUU Akure Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Adeola Egbedokun, told reporters that the new schools were turning into “crises centres.”

He said the union was shocked that fresh licences were issued despite a seven-year moratorium earlier announced by the government.

According to him, “A few months back, the government came up with a kind of moratorium of seven years…” but recent approvals showed that Abuja had abandoned its own policy.

He wondered why the government could not stick to its word. “Is seven years the same thing as seven days?” he asked.

Egbedokun said many federal universities still operate with inadequate funding, weak infrastructure, and unpaid entitlements. He warned that creating more institutions in this condition would worsen the decay.

The union also raised concerns over stalled negotiations with the Federal Government. He noted that ASUU rejected the proposed salary adjustment, describing it as “a tokenistic and insulting gesture.” He stressed that it would not stop lecturers from leaving the country.

In his words, “In clear terms, the Union has rejected the offer of 35% increase on the current salary of academics.”

While acknowledging minor progress in non-salary matters, he insisted that the key issues remain unresolved.

He condemned “the undermining tactics of certain government officials,” and criticised the “piecemeal payment of promotion arrears dating as far back as 2017,” noting that these should not be presented as major achievements.

Egbedokun said the Federal Government has less than a month to take concrete action. He urged the authorities to “act with clarity, commitment, and integrity to reach a comprehensive and lasting resolution.”

He added that “Nothing short of a fair and respectable living wage for Nigerian academics is acceptable.”

The Coordinator restated ASUU’s core requests, including the “Completion of the re-negotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, payment of outstanding 25/35% salary arrears, payment of arrears of promotion, release of unremitted third-party deductions, sustainable funding of Nigerian universities,” and other pending issues.

He warned that ignoring these demands could spark fresh strikes on campuses.

Top ASUU officials from OAU, FUTA, EKSU, UNIMED, FUOYE, BOUESTI, and Adeyemi Federal University of Education were also present at the briefing.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education recently clarified that the presidential approval for the university in Epe was issued before the moratorium.

Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, explained that the institutions in Epe, Kachia and Ogoniland were approved “through a Presidential Executive Memo prior to the FEC’s decision.”