ASUU Denies FG’s Claim of ₦50bn Payment
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has stated that it has not received the N50 billion revitalization fund that the Federal Government recently claimed to have released. The union insists that none of its demands have been met ahead of its National Executive Council meeting scheduled for November 8 and 9, 2025.
In a statement released on Wednesday, signed by Prof. Jurbe Molwus, ASUU recalled that it had ended its two-week warning strike in good faith. This followed assurances from senior government officials that they would present real proposals.
“As ASUU prepares for its National Executive Council meeting on November 8th and 9th, we hope that some overdue entitlements would have been given to university staff by now. This includes 3.5 months of withheld salaries, 25/35% wage award arrears, promotion arrears, and unpaid salaries for some members. Instead, all we have seen are press statements from the Honourable Minister of Education. What we really need are notifications of payments, not misleading announcements.”
He pointed out that the Federal Government’s recent announcement of a N50 billion disbursement has not led to any payments to the universities.
“It is disappointing that the N50 billion revitalization fund the government claimed to have released weeks ago has not yet reached the universities. We are left wondering why the Minister of Education is holding it back.”
Molwus also criticized comments made by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who said that N2.3 billion had been set aside to cover salary and promotion arrears.
“Dr. Tunji Maruf Alausa recently stated that ‘The Federal Government has provided N2.3 billion to settle salary and promotion arrears in all federal universities.’
“However, university staff have not received any notifications about this. Therefore, the minister’s claim about clearing the backlog may only exist in his imagination. He suggested that he has improved staff welfare, and we question how that is possible.”
Molwus argued that the funds mentioned by the minister are not enough.
“The key question the minister needs to answer is: can N2.3 billion really cover the promotion and salary arrears for all federal university employees? Absolutely not. In fact, N2.3 billion is a small amount. It could barely cover the needs of three major universities in Nigeria. This amount is inadequate and almost embarrassing, if not insulting.
“The minister must clarify what part of the outstanding entitlements for university staff the N2.3 billion is meant to address and who it is for. We genuinely do not understand the minister’s reasoning.”
The union also urged the public to hold the Federal Government accountable, warning that it may restart its strike if its demands are not met by November 21, 2025, the end of its four-week ultimatum.
“We call on the media, students, parents, and the public to push the Federal Government to act responsibly. ASUU should not be blamed if it resumes its halted strike in the next two weeks. To be clear, the four weeks given to the government will end on November 21, 2025.
“We want to emphasize that the strike was only suspended as a sign of respect and goodwill during negotiations. We expect the government to respond appropriately and quickly to our demands. Our members are growing impatient as they await news about their rightful entitlements.”
ASUU announced a two-week “total and comprehensive” strike on October 12 after issuing a 14-day ultimatum to the government on September 28.
The union pointed to the Federal Government’s failure to address staff welfare, infrastructure funding, the implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, and overdue salaries.
In response, the Federal Government criticized ASUU for starting the strike and directed universities to implement a “No Work, No Pay” policy.
It also instructed vice-chancellors to conduct roll calls and physical headcounts of academic staff and report on those who were on duty.
After several weeks, the Senate intervened, expressing concern over the government’s failure to meet ASUU’s requests.
Senator Aliyu Dandutse, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, stated that the Senate would start a new negotiation process with ASUU, the Ministry of Education, and the National Universities Commission to find a lasting solution.
Regarding the disputed land issue at the University of Abuja, he mentioned that the Senate would work with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to seek a fair solution.
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