……. Lawmakers, Union Raise Alarm on Funding, Staff Welfare, and Abuja Varsity Land Dispute
By Fatima Saka
The Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, chaired by Senator Mohammed Dandutse Muntari (Katsina South), on Friday held a crucial session with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in Abuja, pledging to find lasting solutions to the recurring crises in Nigeria’s university system.
The meeting, which later went into a closed-door session, addressed multiple concerns ranging from inadequate funding, staff welfare, revitalization of universities, and unpaid salary arrears to a brewing land dispute between the University of Abuja and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
Senator Muntari said the Senate was committed to mediating between ASUU and the executive arm to prevent further disruptions to the academic calendar. “We understand the frustration that led to this action, and we are determined to ensure ASUU strikes become a thing of the past,” he stated.
He noted that the meeting aimed to “listen, engage, and act” to ensure that tertiary education receives sustainable funding and that lecturers’ welfare is properly addressed. “You cannot teach when your stomach is empty or when your family is in distress,” he added.
ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna, explained that the ongoing two-week warning strike was not spontaneous but the result of years of unfulfilled agreements with the government. He recalled that the renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement, due since 2012, has suffered repeated delays under various administrations.
“The committee set up by this government concluded its work and submitted a draft agreement in December 2024, but it was ignored until we began this strike,” Piwuna said. “Our members are disillusioned because the same promises keep resurfacing without implementation.”
ASUU representatives at the meeting also raised alarm over the attempt by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to take over part of the University of Abuja’s land, which they said was originally granted for academic and agricultural development.
One of the union leaders explained that the concept of granting universities large portions of land was drawn from the global land-grant university model to enable institutions to run research and income-generating projects.
“We are worried that the FCT Minister’s move to reclaim portions of the University of Abuja’s land could cripple its future expansion and research plans,” the official said. “There are other large plots of land, even larger, allocated to the military along the same corridor. Why is the university’s land being targeted?”
The discussion also revisited the 2012 Needs Assessment Report, which exposed the poor state of infrastructure in Nigerian public universities. ASUU reminded the lawmakers that the government had then approved ₦200 billion annually for university revitalization, but implementation had since dwindled.
“Initially, ₦200 billion per year was approved, and we saw improvements in rankings,” the ASUU representative noted. “Now, the government has reduced it to ₦150 billion, and even that is not released. The latest proposal offers only ₦50 billion, to be shared with other tertiary institutions, this is unacceptable.”
The union also appealed to the Senate to intervene in ensuring payment of the three-and-a-half-month salary arrears withheld during the last strike, recalling that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had personally promised to resolve the issue when he was campaigning.
“President Tinubu, while not yet in office, had assured our leaders that he would pay these arrears if elected,” ASUU said. “We are now appealing to the Senate to remind him of that commitment.”
Responding, several senators acknowledged the gravity of the crisis. One of them, Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi, lamented the state of Nigerian universities, describing lecturers’ conditions as “nothing to write home about.”
“We are all products of Nigerian universities, and what we see today is heartbreaking,” he said. “ASUU’s demands are not unreasonable. What is unacceptable is the government’s habit of signing agreements and failing to honour them.”
He appealed to ASUU to exercise patience while the Senate works toward a viable resolution. “We understand your pain. Please help us to help our children, give us time to engage the executive meaningfully,” he urged.
Other senators echoed similar sentiments, stressing the need for improved staff remuneration, stable funding, and protection of university lands as long-term investments.
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In closing, Senator Muntari reiterated that the Senate would prepare a comprehensive report and brief the Senate President, with the aim of presenting practical recommendations to President Tinubu for urgent implementation.
“We will not let this matter rest,” Muntari said. “Education is the backbone of national development. We must protect our universities, their staff, and their integrity.”
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