The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has declared that seven per cent budgetary allocation to education in 2025 by the Federal Government will not bring any change to the sector.
The union made this declaration via a statement signed by its chairman, University of Ibadan chapter, Processor Ayo Akinwole on Wednesday, January 1, 2025.
Akinwole in the statement said that the poor welfare conditions of public varsities’ lecturers is leading to the reluctance of qualified hands to take up jobs in the university system.
The statement read in part;
“The result of this has been the proliferation of private schools, most of which are out of the reach of the poor due to the exorbitant fees they charge.
The university system witnessed stagnation in 2024, but for the sacrifices of the lecturers, the university system would have been thrown into another industrial crisis because of the lacklustre attitude of Federal Government to the plights of lecturers.
“Nigeria’s education is likely to remain the same because it has been allocated about 7 per cent (N3.52trillion) in the 2025 budget (47.90trillion) which falls far below the benchmark of 15%-20% educational budget for underdeveloped countries like Nigeria, specified by both UNESCO and United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), which has been advocated by our Union. “
To be sure, since 2017, various committees had been put in place by the Government to renegotiate the agreement with ASUU.
“For instance, the Babalakin-led Joint Renegotiation Committee was set up, followed by Emeritus Professor Munzali Jubril-led Committee, and followed by Late Prof. Nimi Briggs-led Committee, which yielded a draft Agreement between the Committee and ASUU in 2021.
“Unfortunately, the Buhari administration refused to sign the Agreement reached by a Committee set up by it.
“It is, therefore, our opinion that instead of a fresh renegotiation of the Agreement, the Tinubu-led administration should rather set in motion a process that will lead to the review and signing of the Nimi Briggs-led renegotiated draft agreement as a mark of goodwill and assured hope for Nigeria’s public universities.
“This misbegotten policy will have huge and adverse implications for the university system in Nigeria. This is, no doubt, an attempt to destroy the major source of infrastructural funding for already struggling public tertiary institutions.
“It is also an attempt to commodify university education in Nigeria.”
