The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised fresh concerns over the worsening welfare of lecturers across Nigeria, warning that many academics are now trapped in debt as a result of unpaid entitlements and government inaction on long-standing agreements.
The union’s leadership said academics have been forced to rely on multiple cooperative loans to survive, with members now “neck-deep” in debt. It linked this hardship to 16 years of static salaries, unfulfilled allowances and non-implementation of key aspects of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement.
ASUU expressed disappointment that despite setting up various renegotiation committees since 2017 — including those led by Wale Babalakin, Munzali Jubril and the late Emeritus Professor Nimi Briggs — successive governments have failed to honour their commitments. The Tinubu administration, it said, has not shown “visible serious efforts” to redress the crisis despite earlier promises.
The union also condemned the withholding of three and a half months’ salaries from the 2022 strike period, noting that lecturers had since recovered lost academic ground but continue to face disinterest from federal authorities.
On the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), ASUU accused government of breaching its pledge to integrate the payment into salaries and lamented widespread shortfalls across state universities, including LAUTECH, KWASU, UNIOSUN and EAUED, where allowances have been outstanding for years.
The union equally rejected the federal government’s Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund loan scheme, describing it as a “poison chalice” at a time when lecturers are already burdened by debt. It said what academics require is fair remuneration, not more loans.
ASUU further criticised the dissolution and politicisation of governing councils in universities, insisting that the move undermines institutional autonomy. It also decried the proliferation of new universities by federal and state governments, which it said dilutes funding for existing institutions.
The union alleged victimisation of members in LASU, Kogi State University, and FUTO, warning that intimidation of union leaders would only deepen tensions.
While ASUU had initially given the Tinubu government time to address systemic challenges, it warned that continued neglect is leading to the “pauperisation of academics” compared to peers globally and may trigger unpleasant industrial responses if left unresolved.
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