The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Benin Zone warned on Thursday that the federal government’s inability to address its demands is leading to an imminent shutdown of Nigeria’s public universities.
The union stated that the purported insincerity of the Federal and State Governments in addressing these issues has deteriorated the living and working conditions of academic staff in public universities.
During a briefing on the ongoing disputes between ASUU and the Government, Prof. Monday Igbafen, Zonal Coordinator of ASUU’s Benin zone, called on the public, particularly key stakeholders in the Nigerian university system “to hold the Nigerian government responsible if peradventure we proceed on strike any moment from now.”
Igbafen stated that the government’s decision to disregard ASUU on the pressing issues demonstrates their indifference to the numerous urgent appeals and efforts the union has made to address them.
He also voiced concern about the unlawful dissolution or lack of Governing Councils in several federal and state universities.
“The Union has at several fora condemned the illegal dissolution of the Governing Councils of public universities in the country, as well as the refusal or neglect by some state governments to constitute Councils for their universities,” Igbafen said.
“While the federal government has hastily reconstituted controversial Governing Councils of federal Universities after 11 months of their illegal dissolution, some state governments have remained adamant to the contrary.
“The absence of Governing Councils in the universities has led to unthinkable aberrations in the universities with the introduction of obnoxious policies that are antithetical to university culture.”
Igbafen added that the unresolved issues include the stalled renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, funding for the revitalization of public universities based on the FGN-ASUU MoU of 2021, 2013 and the MoA of 2017 among others.
