By Adesina Wahab & Joseph Erunke

Prof. Chris Piwuna recently assumed office as the National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and he is inheriting the same old challenges and problems his immediate predecessor, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke and even those who were before Osodeke contended with.

The usual issues that do bring the union to open confrontation with the government are: Calls for more funding for education, welfare issues, agreements that are not fulfilled, seeking a stop to proliferation of universities among others.

In recent years, another area of contention has been how to share Earned Academic Allowances with other unions in the university system.  

Speaking during his inauguration at the Festus Iyayi National Secretariat Complex of ASUU , at the University of Abuja, Prof. Piwuna lamented the level of implementation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, saying: “A few of the issues are partially implemented,” adding that “a large number of issues still remain unaddressed.”

These, according him, include: Conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement based on Nimi Briggs Committee’s Draft Agreement of 2021; release of withheld three-and-half months salaries on account of the 2022 strike action; release of unpaid salaries of staff on sabbatical, part-time and adjunct appointments due to the application of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS); and   release of outstanding third-party deductions such as check-off dues and cooperative contributions.

Others are the funding for revitalisation of public universities;   payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA); proliferation of universities by federal and state governments;   non-constitution of some universities’ governing councils; and adoption of University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) in place of IPPIS.  

“It is noted that the government has made promises on some of these issues. The government agreed to mainstream the EAA into the salaries with the creation of “Irregular Allowance” as a budget line in the 2026 Budget, after the release of N50 billion for backlog and budgeting N29 billion for payment of 2025 Earned Academic Allowances. Similarly, the government also agreed to release N150 Billion as revitalisation funds within four weeks with effect from April, 2025.  

“However, we are still waiting for the government to fulfil these promises. The Union has also reached an understanding with the Yayale Ahmed-led Committee, with the review of the report of the Nimi Briggs-led FGN-ASUU Renegotiation Committee in December 2024. Again, ASUU members have been left in limbo; waiting for the signing of an Agreement five months after! Delegates at the UNIBEN NDC exhaustively evaluated the government’s disposition in resolving outstanding issues with the union and expressed regrets that nothing has significantly changed in the last two years.  

“The irreducible minimum that can guarantee industrial harmony in the Nigeria University System (NUS) is for government to speedily address all outstanding issues including conclusion of the renegotiation of 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, payment of the withheld-three-and-half months’ salaries, release of the backlog of promotion arrears, payment of withheld salaries of sabbatical/part-time lecturers on account of not signing into the discredited IPPIS, and addressing the unjust victimization of ASUU leaders and members in some state universities. Beyond these, we demand a faithful implementation of all issues arising from our previous Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and Memoranda of Action (MoAs) government signed with ASUU since 2013.”

He accused state universities of continuing in what he called “onslaught” against ASUU members over entitlements. Even as he acknowledged that some issues in places like Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Abia State University, Uturu, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, and Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki have been addressed, he regretted that a number of other issues are still outstanding about the entitlements of ASUU members.

“Again, and sadly, the unconscionable persecution of our members still persists in full swing at the Kogi State University, Anyigba and Lagos State University, Ojo.  

“ASUU hereby calls on the state governors and visitors to these universities to, without further hesitation, resolve the lingering issues and reinstate our members without further delay in the interest of justice and industrial peace.

Apart from issues it is having with the government, there is also a brewing face-off between it and other staff unions in the university system over the sharing of EAA.

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Education and Allied Institutions, NASU and even another academic staff union, the Congress of University Academics, CONUA, are not happy with ASUU over allegation of trying to sideline them in the sharing of the allowance.

Infact, all the other unions are threatening strike if ASUU should have its way and get he largest chunk of the allowance for its members.

The issue has been recurring whenever there is any money to share among university workers.  

The immediate past president of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, while reacting to the threat by CONUA recently, urged the new union to go and negotiate for its own members.