The Academic Staff Union of Universities has warned that deep structural problems threatening university autonomy, academic standards and research funding remain unresolved, despite the signing of a renegotiated agreement with the Federal Government.
ASUU President, Chris Piwuna, raised the concerns on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, during the signing ceremony of the new agreement between the union and the Federal Government, more than 16 years after the last pact was concluded in 2009.
Speaking at the event, Piwuna said the 2025 agreement marked the end of a prolonged and frustrating renegotiation process that should have been concluded in 2012 but was delayed by what he described as “the poverty of sincerity in the government”.
“The 2025 renegotiated agreement is the outcome of a prolonged renegotiation process initiated in 2017 to review the 2009 FGN–ASUU Agreement, to revitalise Nigeria’s university system,” he said.
He recalled that several government appointed committees, led at different times by Wale Babalakin, Munzali Jibrin and Nimi Briggs, failed to produce a collective bargaining agreement between 2017 and 2022.
According to him, progress was only achieved after the inauguration of the Yayale Ahmed led renegotiation committee in October 2024, which reached an agreement about 14 months later.
“The agreement focuses on conditions of service, funding, university autonomy and academic freedom, and other systemic reforms to reverse decay, curb brain drain, and reposition universities for national development,” Piwuna said.
He praised Ahmed and members of the renegotiation team for what he described as quiet but determined leadership during the talks.
“At a point, he almost gave up and sent me a text. He said, ‘You don’t know what I have gone through to reach this point. I am a human being, a family man.’ At another time, he said, ‘I stake my integrity on this. That is the highest possession I protect,’” Piwuna said.
Despite the celebratory mood, the ASUU president warned that persistent government interference in university governance could undermine the gains of the agreement.
“University autonomy is universally recognised as a cornerstone of a functional higher education system. In Nigeria, although university autonomy is recognised in principle and partially entrenched in law, its practical implementation remains weak,” he said.
He accused federal and state authorities of routinely dissolving governing councils and interfering in the appointment of vice chancellors, actions he said had eroded meritocracy and fuelled internal crises.
“There have been instances where governing councils’ recommendations were rejected by the Visitor or ministry, preferred candidates were imposed, and appointment processes were skewed to favour political interests,” he said.
Piwuna also criticised the growing use of acting vice chancellors, warning that it weakened institutional stability, and urged closer scrutiny of governing councils and pro chancellors.
On research funding, he said chronic underfunding had reduced Nigerian universities to “mere teaching institutions” disconnected from innovation and national development.
He welcomed the inclusion of research and development funding in the new agreement, disclosing that it provided for forwarding the National Research Council Bill to the National Assembly, with a proposal to dedicate at least 1 per cent of GDP to research, innovation and development.
“We call on the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate to return to that bill and give it accelerated hearing,” he said.
Piwuna also raised concerns about financial accountability within universities, alleging widespread mismanagement of funds by some vice chancellors and what he described as a growing “consultancy syndrome”.
“Our universities are now run by consultants. It has become a clean way of ‘cleansing’ funds fought for by our union,” he said, adding that politicised governing councils had failed in their watchdog role.
He further criticised the conversion of some federal colleges of education into universities without adequate structural reforms, warning that the rapid promotion of chief lecturers to professors without due process threatened academic standards.
“Chief lecturers and professors are never equivalent,” he said, stressing that professorial appointments must meet established criteria, including research output, postgraduate supervision and external assessment.
Beyond the university system, Piwuna painted a grim picture of Nigeria’s economic situation, blaming fuel price hikes, currency devaluation and subsidy removal for worsening hardship.
“When the minimum wage of N18,000 under Jonathan was equivalent to 111 dollars, and today’s minimum wage of N70,000 is equivalent to 47 dollars, it simply means our lives have been devalued,” he said.
He said insecurity, rising taxes, a collapsing health sector and graduate unemployment were closing off education as a pathway out of poverty for many Nigerians.
“The country is in dire straits and propaganda is not the option. The country must be rescued and rebuilt in the interest of the people,” he said.
Despite expressing cautious optimism, Piwuna said ASUU remained wary of the government’s commitment to fully implement the agreement, given past experiences.
“We are optimistic that the agreement will be implemented in totality by the Federal Government, but there still exists that pessimistic side, looking at our history with the government and the poverty of sincerity,” he said, adding that the union hoped it would not have to resort to strike action to enforce compliance.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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