The Academic Staff Union of Universities has warned that poor welfare for lecturers is lowering education standards in Nigeria, discouraging qualified individuals from joining public universities.
In a New Year message delivered in Ibadan on Tuesday, the Chairman of ASUU’s University of Ibadan Chapter, Prof. Ayo Akinwole, called for urgent action to improve lecturers’ working conditions. He said the problem also affects primary and secondary schools.
“Teachers are not well-paid, leading to reluctance from qualified teachers to work in public schools. This has paved the way for untrained and unqualified teachers to dominate. As a result, private schools are thriving, but their fees are too high for the average Nigerian,” he said.
Prof. Akinwole criticized the allocation of only 7% (N3.52 trillion) of Nigeria’s N47.90 trillion 2025 budget to education, far below the 15-20% benchmark set by UNESCO for underdeveloped nations.
“The university system stagnated in 2024. If not for the sacrifices of lecturers, the system would have collapsed due to the federal government’s lackluster attitude toward education,” Akinwole said.
The ASUU chairman commended the federal government for forming a committee to renegotiate the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement but warned against delays.
“Since 2017, several committees have renegotiated this agreement, including the Babalakin-led and Nimi Briggs-led committees, which produced a draft agreement in 2021. Unfortunately, the Buhari administration refused to sign it,” he said.
Akinwole urged the Tinubu administration to review and sign the Nimi Briggs draft agreement to demonstrate goodwill toward public universities.
The ASUU chairman criticized plans under the Tax Administration Bill to phase out the Tertiary Education Trust Fund by 2030.
“This policy will destroy the little infrastructure funding left for public universities. TETFUND, which has funded infrastructure since 2011, will lose its revenue source starting in 2030, as the funds will be redirected to a federal student loan scheme,” Akinwole said.
He described the reform as an attempt to commercialize university education in Nigeria, warning of its negative impact.
Setting the agenda for 2025, Prof. Akinwole called on President Bola Tinubu to address pressing issues in the education sector, including:
– Payment of withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries.
– Settlement of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA).
– Funding for the revitalization of universities as outlined in the FGN-ASUU agreements of 2012, 2013, and 2017.
“If these issues remain unresolved, there is likely to be a prolonged confrontation between ASUU and the federal government, which may lead to another crisis in the university system,” he warned.
ASUU emphasized that urgent action is needed to prevent further erosion of education standards in the country.
