The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to resume its nationwide strike if the Federal Government fails to meet its demands before the expiration of a one-month ultimatum.
ASUU Kano Zonal Coordinator Abdulkadir Muhammad issued the warning on Monday in Kano during a press briefing following the zone’s meeting. The lecturers had suspended their October warning strike to give the government a month to address issues concerning staff welfare and creating a conducive teaching and learning environment.
Muhammad criticized what he described as the government’s slow approach to renegotiating key agreements designed to revitalize Nigeria’s public universities.
Representatives from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Bayero University Kano (BUK), Kaduna State University (KASU), Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology (ADUSTECH), Federal University Dutse (FUD), Northwest University (NWU), and Sule Lamido University (SLUK) attended the meeting.
The warning follows the report from ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on November 8 and 9 at Taraba State University. NEC expressed dissatisfaction with the sluggish pace of negotiations with the government, describing it as a major obstacle to meaningful resolution.
“The suspension of the strike in October was intended as a goodwill gesture toward Nigerians and to create an enabling environment for negotiations. However, our hope for a timely and holistic resolution is increasingly being dashed,” Muhammad said.
He accused some government officials of using tactics to undermine negotiations and misinform the public about the status of talks. He added that the government has yet to show genuine commitment to improving lecturers’ welfare or addressing the conditions driving brain drain in universities.
“What the government has offered so far will neither enhance working conditions for academics nor attract scholars from other countries to our institutions,” he said, dismissing claims that ASUU’s demands have already been met.
Muhammad also urged the Federal Government to impose a moratorium on the establishment of state universities, similar to what exists for federal universities, noting that many state governors set up universities without ensuring proper funding.
“Governors have developed the habit of establishing universities in their states without the financial commitment needed to sustain them,” he said.
