The Kano Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned of a looming industrial crisis in Nigerian universities over the Federal Government’s failure to fully implement the 2025 agreement signed with the union.
The Zonal Coordinator of ASUU Kano Zone, Prof. Abdulkadir Muhammad, gave the warning during a press conference at Bayero University Kano.
Muhammad said the Federal Government’s delay in constituting the Implementation Monitoring Committee had resulted in partial and uncoordinated implementation of the agreement.
He explained that critical components of the agreement, including salary adjustments and allowances such as Consolidated Academic Tool Allowances and Earned Academic Allowances, had been selectively implemented by some university authorities.
According to him, several state governments have also failed to comply with the agreement entirely.
The ASUU coordinator expressed concern over unresolved welfare issues affecting lecturers, including outstanding salary arrears, unpaid allowances, withheld salaries from the 2022 strike and delayed pension payments to retired academics.
He urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene urgently to address the issues and prevent further deterioration in the nation’s university system.
Muhammad also criticised recent policy directives introduced by the Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa.
He listed the proposed National Research and Innovation Development Fund, the reversal of the mother-tongue education policy and the planned establishment of foreign university campuses in Nigeria as policies that could negatively affect the country’s education sector.
The union reaffirmed its commitment to defending university autonomy and warned that failure by the government to honour the agreement could lead to disruption of the academic calendar.
Muhammad urged Nigerians to hold authorities accountable in order to safeguard the future of education in the country.