By Obinna Uballa
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised alarm over what it described as the long-standing stagnation of university lecturers’ wages, saying members have remained on the same salary structure for the past 15 years.
Speaking at a press briefing in Benin City, Edo State on Tuesday, the Benin Zone of the union accused the Federal Government of failing to utilise the one-month window given to conclude the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, warning that a nationwide strike was imminent.
Zonal Coordinator, Prof Monday Igbafen, flanked by leaders of universities in the zone, said the government had shown “blatant unwillingness” to resolve the lingering issues affecting the university system.
“It is not only regrettable but sad to inform you that the Federal Government has again demonstrated a blatant unwillingness to quickly and holistically resolve all the outstanding issues to restore industrial harmony in our public universities,” he said.
While noting that some non-monetary aspects of the agreement had been addressed, Igbafen insisted that lecturers’ salaries and conditions of service remain a major flashpoint.
He said the union rejected the government’s proposed salary adjustment, calling it “a mere drop in the ocean” that falls far short of reversing the brain drain plaguing the sector.
According to him, Nigerian lecturers have been trapped in the same pay structure since 2009, when the naira exchanged at N120 to the dollar. He decried a situation where a professor earns less than $400 per month, describing it as “scandalous under-valuation” of academics.
“To remain on the same salary regime for more than 15 years without a meaningful review is not only wicked and inhuman but also a catalyst for resistance, industrial disharmony and brain drain,” he added.
Igbafen also criticised the posture of some government officials, including the Minister of Education, saying their pronouncements were undermining genuine efforts to resolve the crisis.
He argued that with national revenues rising sharply, the federal government has no economic excuse for delay. He cited FAAC data showing that allocations to states rose from N3.92 trillion in 2022 to N5.81 trillion in 2024, an increase of more than 62 per cent. Federal Government revenue, he said, also increased from N3.42 trillion in 2022 to N4.65 trillion in 2024.
“Consequently, as a union, we believe that it is more of a lack of political will rather than economic factors that has been undermining the resolution of this renegotiation process,” he said.
He warned that the Benin Zone of ASUU was prepared to comply with any directive from the national leadership to resume the suspended strike once the one-month deadline expires.
