- To Convene Joint Meeting With Education Ministry, NUC, ASUU
- Says ASUU Demands Not Unreasonable
- Fresh Row Brews Over Wike’s Plan To Seize Part Of UniAbuja
- FG Denies Scrapping UTME
In a decisive move to address the escalating crisis in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector, the Senate has formally intervened in the face-off between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The dispute, which led to a two-week warning strike, has disrupted academic activities nationwide and sparked widespread concern among students, parents, and education stakeholders.
The intervention was led by Senator Muntari Dandutse, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund.
Following a closed-door meeting with ASUU leadership at the National Assembly on Friday, Dandutse announced that the Senate would serve as a mediator to facilitate dialogue between ASUU, the Ministry of Education, and the National Universities Commission (NUC)
The Senate expressed disappointment over the federal government’s failure to honour agreements reached with ASUU.
“The senate is not happy that the agreement by the government with ASUU has not been fulfilled,” the senator said.
“We will study the issues raised and take appropriate steps to ensure an amicable resolution.
“We want the leadership of ASUU to write all the issues they raised so that we can face the Ministry of Education together by Tuesday or Wednesday.
“You cannot teach when your stomach is empty. We will engage the executive and ensure these issues are addressed once and for all.”
Dandutse also said the panel would submit a detailed report to the Senate President and urge President Bola Tinubu to intervene personally.
“We will not let this matter rest. Education is the backbone of national development, and the senate will not stand by while our universities collapse,” he said.
Also reacting, Olubiyi Fadeyi, the senator representing Osun Central decried the state of Nigerian universities and backed ASUU’s concerns.
“We are all products of Nigerian universities, and what we see today is heartbreaking,” he said.
“ASUU’s demands are not unreasonable. What’s unacceptable is the government’s habit of signing agreements and abandoning them.”
On his part, Chris Piwuna, ASUU president, accused the federal government of abandoning its responsibilities and underfunding the education sector.
Piwuna said Nigerian lecturers have become the poorest in Africa despite their sacrifices and contributions to national development.
“A professor in South Africa earns N6 million monthly, in Ghana N1.5 million, but in Nigeria, a full professor earns less than N500,000,” he said.
“Our salaries can’t attract serious scholars from anywhere. Even colleagues in Uganda and Zimbabwe earn far more. This is a national disgrace.”
He warned that the poor remuneration and deteriorating working conditions were forcing the country’s brightest minds to seek opportunities abroad.
“The government only remembers us when we strike. We’ve been patient, but patience has its limits. That’s not how nations grow,” Piwuna said.
He added that the union is demanding the immediate payment of three-and-a-half months of withheld salaries, unremitted pension deductions, and the release of N50 billion revitalisation funds allegedly withheld by the Ministry of Education.
“The senate appropriated that money for universities, not for colleges or polytechnics,” he said.
“The ministry is playing politics with education. We want the senate to compel them to release it immediately.”
He noted that the union is ready to end the strike immediately if the government demonstrates a genuine commitment to resolving the crisis.
“We don’t want students at home or parents losing sleep. Give us reason to believe, and we’ll end this strike immediately,” he said.
However, the lecturers insisted that without real reforms—not political promises—peace in Nigerian universities would remain elusive.
In a related development, a fresh row is brewing in the educational sector as the academic union president also raised concerns over an alleged attempt by Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to seize parts of the University of Abuja’s land meant for academic and agricultural development.
“That land is crucial for research, expansion, and innovation,” the union said. “If the minister succeeds, he would be choking the future of education in the capital,” Piwuna said.
Dandutse assured that the senate would also engage Wike to prevent the encroachment of the land.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has reaffirmed that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) remains the sole body for coordinating admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
This was contained in a statement by the spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade.
She denied reports that the government had scrapped the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), saying the Ministry never issued or authorised any such announcement.
“For the avoidance of doubt, JAMB remains the statutory and legally empowered body responsible for conducting entrance examinations and coordinating admissions into all tertiary institutions in Nigeria,” the statement partly read.
“The established admission processes through JAMB remain fully operational, and any contrary information should be disregarded in its entirety,” it added.
According to the statement, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, reaffirmed the Ministry’s unwavering partnership with JAMB and other relevant agencies to uphold transparency, fairness, and merit in Nigeria’s tertiary education admission system.
He noted that the Federal Government was committed to maintaining the integrity of the process.
