The Senate has expressed deep frustration over the Federal Government’s failure to honour its agreements with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), promising quick intervention to end the ongoing two-week warning strike.
The development was contained in a statement issued by ASUU on the lingering face-off between the union and the government.
Senator Mohammed Dandutse, Chair of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, disclosed that the upper chamber will convene a joint meeting with ASUU, the Ministry of Education, and the National Universities Commission (NUC) to seek a lasting solution. “You cannot teach when your stomach is empty,” he remarked, adding that the Senate will not watch public universities deteriorate further.
Supporting ASUU’s stance, Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi described the union’s demands as “not unreasonable” and faulted the government for consistently neglecting its responsibilities to lecturers.
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, lamented the poor welfare of academic staff, noting that Nigerian professors remain among the lowest paid on the continent. He said a professor in Nigeria earns less than ₦500,000 monthly, compared to ₦6 million in South Africa and ₦1.5 million in Ghana.
Piwuna urged the government to pay the withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries, release unremitted pension deductions, and disburse the ₦50 billion revitalization fund already approved by the Senate. He affirmed the union’s readiness to resume work once the government shows sincere commitment. “We don’t want students at home; we only demand justice and respect for education,” he stated.
The ASUU leader also cautioned against alleged attempts by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to seize parts of the University of Abuja’s land, describing it as a direct attack on academic growth and development.
ASUU reaffirmed its determination to sustain the struggle until the dignity of Nigerian academics and the integrity of public universities are restored.
