ASUU Gives Reason Why 2025 Might Be a Year of Long Battle with the Federal Government

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a stern warning that 2025 could see a prolonged confrontation with the Federal Government of Nigeria because pending issues and expectations are not addressed. According to ASUU, the government's efforts in the previous year were merely superficial and did not result in any substantial improvements in the university education sector. The union criticized the Federal Government for its continued neglect of the university system and its failure to resolve longstanding issues satisfactorily in 2024.

ASUU's Ibadan chapter chairman, Professor Ayo Akinwole, emphasized in a statement that the uninterrupted academic calendar in 2024 was solely due to the sacrifices made by the union, rather than any meaningful resolution of issues by the government. He highlighted several unresolved issues, including the lack of funding for the revitalization of public universities based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of 2012, 2013, and the Memorandum of Action (MoA) of 2017, the non-release of three and a half months of withheld salaries, and the failure to release third-party deductions such as scheduled loan repayments, personal savings to retirement schemes, and cooperative contributions.

Additional pending issues include the non-release and payment of arrears of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), the creeping authoritarianism in some Nigerian universities, the proliferation of public universities without adequate funding, the non-implementation of the reports of Visitation Panels, the non-implementation of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) in place of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), and the non-renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement. These unresolved issues are expected to shape the relationship between ASUU and the Federal Government in 2025.

Professor Akinwole warned that, given the government's usual reluctance to address issues concerning the education sector and the university system, 2025 could be a year of significant challenges and struggles. He urged the government to show a sincere commitment to reversing the decline in basic education by providing essential facilities such as good classrooms, desks, and chairs to address overcrowding and dilapidation. He also called for a review of teachers' remuneration to attract and recruit qualified teachers and for efforts to tackle the high rate of out-of-school children in Nigeria, emphasizing that education is a fundamental right for every Nigerian child.

ASUU expects the government to pay the withheld three and a half months’ salaries and third-party deductions owed to its members, release the Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), and provide funding for the revitalization of universities as agreed in the FGN-ASUU MoUs of 2012, 2013, and the MoA of 2017. The union also expects the welfare of workers in the education sector to be prioritized, considering the state of the national economy and the high cost of living, which have eroded the conditions of service for its members.

Furthermore, ASUU demands that the Nimi Briggs-led renegotiated draft agreement be quickly reviewed and signed in line with current economic indices. The union insists that university lecturers' salaries be restored to the African average, as per the 2009 Agreement, which pegged professorial salaries at $3,000. Due to the deterioration of the Nigerian Naira against the US dollar, this amount has now dwindled to a paltry $200. ASUU also expects an end to attacks on the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the idea of commodifying university education in Nigeria. Instead, the union suggests that Nigeria should follow the example of countries like Germany, where education at all levels is free and properly funded.

In addition to these demands, ASUU calls for the implementation of UTAS to resolve long-standing challenges associated with the payment mode. The union urges the government to reverse the decline of public universities and restore hope for children who cannot afford private or overseas education. Professor Akinwole emphasized the importance of remaining vigilant and supporting the union's leadership at all levels. He encouraged members to brace for potential crises if the union's expectations are not satisfactorily met in 2025, stating that a united people cannot be defeated.

ASUU also rejected the proposed tax reform bills, describing them as an attempt to destroy the major source of infrastructural funding for already struggling public tertiary institutions and commodify university education in Nigeria. Akinwole noted that the education tax, which is to be replaced by a "development levy," would disrupt the revenue stream of TETFund, a crucial source of funding for infrastructure development in many public tertiary institutions.

The ASUU chairman also criticized the 2025 budgetary allocation to education as inadequate, falling below the internationally advised benchmark of 15% to 20%. In October 2024, President Bola Tinubu asked the National Assembly to consider and pass four tax reform bills, including the Nigeria Tax Bill, the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, the Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Bill, and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill. Part of the tax administration bill proposes eliminating the education tax, to be replaced by a development levy. This change would effectively disrupt the revenue stream of TETFund, which has been a major source of funding for infrastructure development in public tertiary institutions over the past decade.

Akinwole warned that only 50% of the monies accruing to the levy would go to TETFund in 2025 and 2026. This share would increase to 66% from 2027 to 2029, after which the agency would cease to receive any revenue from 2030. From that point, the development levy would solely fund the federal government's student loan scheme. This policy, he argued, would threaten the existence of TETFund and have significant adverse implications for the university system in Nigeria.

In conclusion, ASUU's warning signals a potentially turbulent year ahead for the Nigerian education sector. The union's demands highlight the need for substantial government investment and commitment to resolving longstanding issues to avoid another cycle of strikes and disruptions in the academic calendar. ASUU remains steadfast in its pursuit of improved conditions for university education in Nigeria and urges the government to take immediate and meaningful action to address the union's concerns.