Stop creating more varsities, fix existing ones, ASUU tells FG

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Akure Zone, has accused the Federal Government of misrepresenting the status of negotiations with the union, adding that newly established universities are mere “crises centres.”

Addressing journalists on the campus of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, on Thursday, the ASUU Akure Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Adeola Egbedokun, said that despite the seven-year moratorium placed by the Federal Government on the establishment of new universities, it still went ahead to announce new institutions.

earlier report that the Federal Government approved a seven-year freeze on creating new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, following concerns over the proliferation of under-utilised institutions, overstretched resources, and declining academic quality.

The moratorium was approved at a Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, after a presentation by Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu Alausa.

However, despite the moratorium, nine new universities — including the institution in Epe — received approval.

Egbedokun, flanked by ASUU chairmen from the seven branches under the Akure Zone, expressed concern that while existing universities remained poorly funded, the Federal Government continued to approve new ones, even after announcing a freeze on such approvals.

He said, “A few months back, the government came up with a kind of moratorium of seven years (on the establishment of new tertiary institutions). One of the agitations of our union is this issue of proliferation of universities, especially at the Federal and state levels and we were coming from the point of view that rather than proliferate, why not take care of the existing ones?

“It was agreed that for seven years, no license will be granted to any university again, but we all saw what happened a few days ago when we heard that a new university was granted a license. I think the government of Nigeria should live up to its words. Let your yes be yes and no be no. Is seven years the same thing as seven days?”

Reviewing the renegotiation process since the suspension of ASUU’s warning strike, Egbedokun stated that the National Executive Council rejected the salary adjustment proposed by the Federal Government, describing it as “a tokenistic and insulting gesture.”

Declaring that the offer would not stem the exodus of scholars or restore dignity to the academic profession, he added, **“In clear terms, the Union has rejected the offer of 35% increase on the current salary of academics.

“While modest progress may have been recorded in some non-monetary areas, the critical issues of salary and conditions of service remain unresolved and demand decisive and courageous intervention.”**

He also condemned “the undermining tactics of certain government officials, who continue to distort facts and misrepresent the status of the negotiations,” stressing that “The piecemeal payment of promotion arrears dating as far back as 2017, and the belated release of third-party deductions (deductions due to Cooperative societies, running into billions of naira) owed to members for years, cannot and must not be presented as substantive achievements.”

With less than one month left in the window given to the Federal Government to act on ASUU’s demands, Egbedokun urged authorities to **“act with clarity, commitment, and integrity to reach a comprehensive and lasting resolution.”

“Nothing short of a fair and respectable living wage for Nigerian academics is acceptable. Let it be clearly stated: the surest way to secure Nigeria’s future is to invest meaningfully in education.”

Restating the union’s demands, he called for the “Completion of the re-negotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, payment of outstanding 25/35% salary arrears, payment of arrears of promotion, release of unremitted third-party deductions, sustainable funding of Nigerian universities,” among other issues — warning that failure to respond could trigger industrial unrest across university campuses.

ASUU leaders present at the briefing included: Prof. Anthony Odiwe (OAU), Prof. Bamidele Mogaji (FUTA), Prof. Sola Afolayan (EKSU), Dr. Abraham Oladebeye (UNIMED), Dr. Abayomi Fagbuagun (FUOYE), Dr. Babatope Ogundare (BOUESTI), and Dr. Bosun Ajisafe (Adeyemi Federal University of Education, Ondo).

On Sunday,report that the Federal Ministry of Education clarified that presidential approval for establishing the Federal University of Science and Technology, Epe, Lagos State, had been granted before the Federal Executive Council imposed the seven-year moratorium on new federal tertiary institutions.

Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, confirmed that President Bola Tinubu approved the universities in Epe, Kachia, and Ogoniland “through a Presidential Executive Memo prior to the FEC’s decision.”