Beyond the ASUU Strike: Rethinking Nigeria’s Varsities (1)
The recent strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has once again put Nigeria’s public tertiary education system in the spotlight. It has reopened long-standing issues about the weaknesses in the country’s university framework. For many years, ASUU strikes have been common in Nigeria, disrupting teaching, research, and the educational progress of millions of students.
While the current strike shows ongoing disagreements between the Federal Government and the union, it also points to deeper structural problems that have been ignored. Both government and academic leaders recognise these challenges, which include constant underfunding, limited autonomy for institutions, unpaid academic allowances and benefits, low pay, and poor governance in state-owned universities. To break this cycle of strikes, we must address these fundamental issues that continue to hold back Nigeria’s public universities.
Since ASUU’s first major strike in 1988, the Nigerian higher education sector has faced a constant tug-of-war between university unions and government officials. The issues tend to stay the same: low pay, poor infrastructure, unmet government promises, and declining investment in research and development. Each set of discussions results in temporary agreements, but the same problems often resurface in a few years. This ongoing conflict reflects a wider systemic failure marked by a lack of long-term commitment from all parties to engage in necessary reforms in Nigeria’s higher education system.
The 2025 ASUU strike, like those before it, is not just about the immediate conflict but what it represents: a failing system of higher education management. The inability to stabilise university operations has led to extended academic years, decreased global competitiveness, and a continuous brain drain. Once seen as a beacon of education in Africa during the 1970s and early 1980s, Nigeria’s public universities now struggle with crumbling facilities, underpaid staff, and students who are increasingly disillusioned with the public education system.
At the heart of Nigeria’s university crisis is chronic underfunding. Despite ongoing advocacy from education leaders, the annual budget allocation for education has rarely exceeded 8%, far below the 26% recommended by UNESCO. This lack of funding affects all areas of university life: laboratory equipment is outdated, libraries lack up-to-date materials, and facilities deteriorate faster than they can be kept up. Ignoring the fact that our society cannot exceed the development level of our academic capabilities represents a significant problem. It is no coincidence that the most successful nations have the best educational systems; there is a clear link between the quality of higher education and overall societal progress.
Public universities heavily depend on government funding, generating little income on their own. This reliance makes them vulnerable to budget changes and political pressures. Additionally, the implementation of “no work, no pay” policies during strikes worsens financial instability and breeds resentment among academic staff towards the government. In contrast, successful higher education systems worldwide, like those in South Africa, Malaysia, and various European and American countries, benefit from a balanced mix of public funding, research grants, endowments, alumni contributions, and public-private partnerships.
To reverse this trend, all stakeholders need to engage in discussions aimed at exploring options and identifying solutions backed by acts and laws from the National Assembly that have presidential approval. Nigeria should focus on creating dedicated funding mechanisms that ensure stable financial support for tertiary education. This could involve establishing an Education Stabilisation Fund protected from non-educational use, with laws that guarantee multi-year funding commitments.
Furthermore, universities should be allowed to pursue external grants, build partnerships, and attract alumni contributions, all supported by transparent financial management practices. Strengthening and better organising alumni associations is essential for them to contribute regularly to their universities in a way that promotes development.
Quality education cannot rely solely on goodwill. While the government may have good intentions, it does not have the resources to manage everything on its own. For real change to happen, there must be a consistent and accountable investment in all areas of tertiary education.
Another critical aspect of reform is giving universities more autonomy. Nigerian universities operate under significant bureaucratic control, with the Federal Government often managing salaries, hiring, admissions, and even leadership appointments. This centralised governance limits creativity, efficiency, and the ability to respond to both local and global academic trends. Universities are expected to produce top graduates while working under administrative restrictions that hinder their flexibility and initiative. This creates a contradiction, and the results of this approach have been disappointing.
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