Sustainable Investment in Education is Only Path to End Varsity Strikes, Says ASUU
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said sustainable investment in education remained the only path to ending strikes and raising the global ranking of Nigerian universities.
The Union tasked the Federal Government to improve funding for public universities.
ASUU made the call on Friday when it appeared before the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund at the National Assembly.
Speaking on behalf of the union, the ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, explained that the lecturers engaged the Federal Government for eight years without tangible results, saying the ongoing two-week warning strike resulted from longstanding issues that dated as far back as 2011.
“We engaged the Federal Government for eight years without tangible results. The Yayale Ahmed Committee report, submitted in December 2024, was ignored until this industrial action began,” Prof. Piwuna said.
According to him, the key demands of ASUU, including sustainable funding, improved conditions of service, revitalisation of public universities and academic autonomy, remain unchanged.
The union also challenged the Senate committee to push the government to increase funding, saying “Try us. Push government to fund universities adequately and you’ll see the end of strikes and the improvement of our universities in global rankings”.
On funding delays, Piwuna revealed that although the National Assembly approved ₦150 billion for universities, only ₦50 billion had been released so far.
He cautioned that the ₦150 billion approved specifically for universities must be used for the intended purpose.
