By TALATU MAIWADA

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned that poor implementation of its 2025 agreement with the Federal Government could trigger fresh action across Nigerian public universities.

ASUU President, Mr Christopher Piwuna, gave the warning on Monday at a news conference held after the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Yola.

Piwuna expressed concern over what he described as the Federal Government’s failure to inaugurate the Implementation Monitoring Committee provided for in the agreement signed with the union in December 2025.

According to him, the delay is already undermining the smooth execution of the agreement and creating confusion in its implementation.

“Government’s failure to inaugurate the Implementation Monitoring Committee is undermining the smooth execution of the 2025 agreement.

“The absence of the committee has created room for distorted and uncoordinated implementation of the agreement,” he said.

The ASUU president warned that the progress made during negotiations could be lost if the government failed to properly implement all aspects of the agreement.

He alleged that some government agencies and university authorities were implementing the agreement selectively, especially in the payment of lecturers’ allowances.

Piwuna also accused some vice-chancellors of failing to fully implement agreed welfare packages for academic staff.

He further noted that some state governments that participated in the negotiation process had yet to implement the salary component of the agreement for lecturers in state-owned universities.

According to him, unresolved issues affecting lecturers include withheld salaries, promotion arrears, salary shortfalls and unremitted third-party deductions.

“The continued delay in addressing these issues is worsening frustration among lecturers in public universities,” he said.

Piwuna urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene and ensure all outstanding welfare issues were resolved to sustain industrial harmony in the university system.

The ASUU president also criticised the proposed National Research and Innovation Development Fund announced by the Federal Government, saying it fell short of the provisions contained in the agreement.

He explained that the agreement recommended allocating at least one per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to research funding.

Piwuna further rejected the Federal Government’s plan to establish a campus of Coventry University in Nigeria under the Transnational Education framework.

He described the proposal as “neo-colonial” and warned that it could undermine Nigeria’s tertiary education system and local universities.

The ASUU president also opposed plans to scrap some university courses considered irrelevant, insisting that every academic programme contributes to societal and economic development.

He disclosed that ASUU would convene an emergency NEC meeting in the coming weeks to assess developments and determine its next line of action. (NAN)