The Academic Staff Union of Universities has expressed deep concern over the prolonged neglect and poor funding of public universities by the federal and state governments.
Prof. Nanmwa Voncir, the Acting Zonal Coordinator of ASUU Bauchi Zone, said this on Friday, in a press conference held in Jos.
Voncir highlighted the alarming challenges faced by public universities in fulfilling their core functions of research, teaching, and community service.
He condemned the government’s failure to honour a renegotiated agreement with the union spanning the past fifteen years.
Emphasising the unacceptability of the situation, Voncir warned that without resolution of these issues, the union could not guarantee sustained industrial harmony within educational institutions.
The union leader criticised the disappointing commitment of governments to education funding, revealing that budgetary allocations to education have not exceeded 10% in any year since 2010, dropping to 6.39% in 2024.
Voncir argued that this insufficient funding hindered efforts to address critical infrastructure needs such as lecture rooms, hostels, laboratories, and libraries.
Expressing concern over fee hikes imposed by universities due to financial constraints, ASUU denounced the Students’ Loan scheme promoted by international money lending agencies, citing potential adverse effects on public universities’ funding.
Voncir underscored the failure to update the 2009 ASUU/FGN Agreement, emphasising that university teachers in Nigeria have been on the same salary regime since then, despite the drastic depreciation of the Naira against the dollar.
The union leader called attention to the meager salaries of professors, urging stakeholders, including the media, labour movement, student groups, and civil society organisations, to join hands in repositioning the Nigerian University system for global competitiveness.
ASUU reiterated its commitment to a transformed Nigeria and called on all patriots to support their cause.
Voncir concluded by expressing hope that the union would not be forced into unnecessary industrial disharmony, reminding of their suspension of a strike in 2022 based on trust in interventions.
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