… Lawmakers Vow To Halt Looming Indefinite Strike As Union Insists On Proper Funding
The Senate has intervened in the ongoing face-off between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in a bid to end the two-week warning strike declared by the university lecturers.
As part of efforts to resolve the crisis, the Senate Committees on Labour, Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND have scheduled a crucial meeting with the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Yusuf Ribadu, for next week.
The planned meeting with the government officials will follow Friday’s closed-door session between the lawmakers and the national leadership of ASUU at the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND, Senator Muntari Dandutse (APC, Katsina South), said the lawmakers were determined to broker a lasting solution to the crisis.
“We have heard from ASUU and understood their grievances. Our next move is to meet with relevant government agencies, particularly the Minister of Education and the NUC Executive Secretary, between Tuesday and Wednesday next week,” Dandutse said.
He added that the committees would also engage the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Nyesom Wike, on the alleged encroachment on the University of Abuja’s land.
“We resolved to interface with the FCT Minister to stop any action that may lead to tampering with the University of Abuja land,” the senator stated.
Earlier, the National President of ASUU, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, told the lawmakers that improved and sustained funding of universities remained the only viable route to ending recurrent strikes and repositioning Nigeria’s higher education system.
Piwuna lamented that the Federal Government had consistently failed to honour previous agreements dating as far back as 2011, noting that the current strike was a result of accumulated neglect.
“We engaged the government for eight years without tangible results. The Yayale Ahmed committee report, submitted in December 2024, was ignored until this industrial action began,” he said.
He also revealed that although the National Assembly approved ₦150 billion for public universities, only ₦50 billion had been released, accusing the Ministry of Education of attempting to divert the remaining funds.
“The ₦150 billion was approved specifically for universities. It must not be shared with polytechnics or colleges of education, which already have separate budgetary allocations,” he warned.
The ASUU president urged the National Assembly to ensure that the approved funds were released promptly and used for their intended purpose, stressing that failure to do so could force the union into an indefinite strike.
The intervention by the Senate comes amid growing anxiety across campuses nationwide, as students and parents express fears of another prolonged disruption to the academic calendar.
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