ASUU Warns FG Over Unmet Demands, Strike Looms
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Akure Zone, has warned the federal government against provoking its members into unnecessary conflict due to ongoing issues affecting universities in Nigeria.
Expressing dissatisfaction with how the federal government has addressed persistent problems within the university system, ASUU criticized the treatment of its members.
During a press conference at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) in Ekiti State, the Zonal Chairman, Professor Adeola Egbedokun, stated, “For more than two years, we have honored the commitment to dialogue and avoided strike actions, but our patience has worn thin.”
Egbedokun expressed that ASUU members have made significant sacrifices, revealing that their well-being has been compromised in the hope that the government would take appropriate action.
He remarked, “If the government continues to toy with the future of our universities, it must face the repercussions of the turbulence that will ensue.”
Egbedokun articulated the union’s demands, which include renegotiating the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, opposing the TISSF loan scheme viewed as financial coercion, stopping the excessive establishment of universities, and enhancing retirement benefits for professors and staff.
The union expressed, “We have participated in countless meetings with the Minister of Education, the assumed guardian of our nation’s educational future. We have consulted with every governmental agency linked to these matters. And what have we received in return? A duplicitous game of postponement and diversion—‘keep them negotiating.’”
“This is merely a cynical tactic to squander our time, diminish our resolve, and ridicule our sacrifices. We did not remain idle; we reached out earnestly.
“We implored government allies, urging them to appeal to the conscience of those in power. Yet, every effort encountered an impassable barrier,” Egbedokun stated.
The Zonal Chairman decried that the Union “has been driven to the very brink.”
Egbedokun continued, “In light of the government’s duplicity, trickery, and cruel neglect, we declare with confidence: enough is enough! From the criminal disregard of the Yayale Ahmed report, to the financial burden of the TISSF loan, to the reckless increase of substandard universities, and the disgraceful treatment of our retired colleagues—the trend is unmistakable.
“This government has opted to belittle knowledge, insult academics, and undermine the core of the nation’s future. Let it be clear: we are not deceived by hollow promises, we are not seeking charity in the form of loans, and we will not be appeased by deceitful half-measures. Our patience has limits.
“Our silence does not equate to weakness. Our endurance does not signify submission. If the government chooses to persist with this betrayal, then it alone must bear the burden of history.
“While observing that any administration that starves its intellectuals, enslaves its workforce, and neglects its seniors will be remembered with disdain, Egbedokun said, ‘Their names will decay in infamy, their legacies will reek of failure, and their actions will be denounced as crimes against the nation.’
“The responsibility is no longer ours. It lies solely with them. They must decide: justice or judgment, action or upheaval, peace or chaos.
“We assure our members that the union will take decisive action, without reservation or compromise, in addressing the challenges ahead of us.”
He encouraged ASUU members to participate en masse in the rallies set to occur across campuses on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, adding that the “rallies symbolize our initial decisive reaction to the government’s inaction, a clear signal of what is to follow if our concerns are not addressed.”
DOWNLOAD EXAM SCHOLARS 2025 CBT APP ON THE PLAY STORE
DOWNLOAD EXAM SCHOLARS 2025 CBT APP ON THE APP STORE
DOWNLOAD EXAM SCHOLARS 2025 CBT APP ON WINDOWS
VISIT EXAMSCHOLARS.COM for more info.
