In an emergency press conference following a zonal meeting of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in Kano, coordinator Abdulqadir Muhammad called on the Nigeria University Commission (NUC) to address the increasing proliferation of universities in the country.
Emphasizing the urgent need for a review of the NUC Act, Muhammad stressed the importance of preventing the establishment of universities without sufficient funding provisions.
Additionally, ASUU urged President Bola Ahmad Tinubu to implement the terms of the agreement signed with the union, citing it as the key to ending recurring strike actions.
The union specifically highlighted the necessity of renegotiating the 2009 agreement, pointing out that the exchange rate to the dollar had risen significantly since its inception, resulting in a 90 percent erosion of their salaries.
ASUU appealed to the Tinubu-led administration to promptly initiate the upward review and signing of the Nimi Briggs Committee’s renegotiated draft agreement to avert an industrial crisis and restore hope for Nigeria’s public universities.
The union called on media, civil society, labor movements, and student groups to support their efforts to enhance the state of public universities in Nigeria.
While confirming partial payments of the seven and a half months withheld salaries, the coordinator urged the government to honorably settle the remaining balance and address outstanding academic allowances and promotion arrears.
ASUU also called on the Kaduna state government to promptly and unconditionally pay the five-month withheld salaries of Kaduna State University.
Expressing concern about the nation’s state, the union highlighted worries regarding insecurity, increasing poverty, unemployment, rising living costs, displacement, and heightened destitution.
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