The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) staged coordinated protests across campuses nationwide on Tuesday to press home its long-standing demands from the Federal Government, just two days before a crucial meeting scheduled for Abuja.
From Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, to the University of Calabar, University of Maiduguri, University of Ilorin, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Plateau State University, Abia State University, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Federal University of Lafia and Osun State University, lecturers trooped out with placards, chanting solidarity songs and warning that a fresh strike loomed if the government failed to act.
Their grievances centre on the government’s refusal to implement the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, withheld salaries running into three and a half months, unpaid salary arrears and promotions, lack of revitalisation funds for universities, and insistence on the use of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) instead of ASUU’s preferred University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS). The union has also rejected the government’s proposed tertiary staff loan scheme, describing it as a ploy to further impoverish lecturers.
At Obafemi Awolowo University, ASUU Chairperson, Prof. Tony Odiwe, said lecturers had been on the same salary scale since 2009 and accused the government of deliberately delaying the report of the Yayale Ahmed renegotiation committee submitted earlier this year. In Lafia, Branch Chairperson, Sunday Orinya, lamented that neglect and deceit from the government had worsened living conditions, leading to the deaths of some lecturers. At the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti, Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Adeola Egbedokun, declared that academics were teaching on “empty stomachs” and had been pushed to the brink.
In Plateau State, the protest gained momentum with the participation of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Shedrack Best, and the ASUU National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, who condemned poor salaries, unpaid allowances and what they called a siege on university autonomy through the enforcement of IPPIS. In Sokoto, UDUS Branch Chair, Prof. Nurudeen Almustapha, dismissed the government’s loan scheme as a “poisoned chalice” and demanded immediate action on the Yayale Ahmed report.
At the University of Ilorin, protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “University workers are not slaves” and “Honour your agreement with ASUU,” while Branch Chair, Dr. Alex Akanmu, accused the government of deliberately impoverishing lecturers. In Akure, FUTA Branch Chair, Prof. Pius Mogaji, warned that all options remained on the table if the government continued with what he described as “reckless indifference.” Similar protests were held in Calabar, Maiduguri, Umuahia, and Osogbo, with lecturers demanding payment of arrears, improved funding, and respect for university autonomy.
The protests serve as a warning ahead of Thursday’s Abuja meeting, which ASUU leaders have described as crucial. They insist that the government’s response will determine whether calm is restored to campuses or whether another nationwide strike becomes inevitable.
