The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised alarm over what it described as the 15-year stagnation of Nigerian university lecturers on the same salary structure, warning that a fresh nationwide strike may soon be unavoidable.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, November 18, in Benin City, Edo State, the Benin Zone of the union said the Federal Government had failed to utilise the one-month window given to it to conclude the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement.
Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Monday Igbafen, who addressed the media alongside leaders from universities within the zone, said the government’s handling of the matter has shown “blatant unwillingness” to resolve the crisis threatening the public university system.
Lamenting the dire state of academic remuneration, Igbafen said: “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 the desired industrial harmony in our public universities.”
He added that although some non-monetary aspects of the agreement had been addressed, the salary and welfare components “remain a sore point” requiring urgent and radical intervention.
“We have rejected the proposed salary increment by the government because it is a mere drop in the ocean… The most obvious implication of the refusal of the government to conclude this negotiation is that university teachers in Nigeria have continued with the same salary regime of 2009, when the value of the naira to a dollar was ₦120,” Igbafen.
According to him, the situation has worsened to the point where: “A professor at the bar earns less than $400 per month, which is a scandalous under-valuation of Nigerian scholars.”
He described the 15-year salary freeze as “wicked, inhuman, and a catalyst for resistance, industrial disharmony and brain drain.”
Igbafen criticised the stance and statements of key government officials, including the Minister of Education, saying their posture had been “antithetical to a genuine and speedy resolution” of the dispute.
He argued that the Federal Government has no excuse for failing to honour its commitments given the country’s increasing revenue profile.
Nigeria’s Revenues Have Increased Over 70% – ASUU
Citing official data, the ASUU zonal coordinator stated: “States received a total of ₦3.92 trillion in 2022, while the figure for 2024 was ₦5.81 trillion, an increase of over 62 per cent.
“Similarly, the Federal Government received ₦3.42 trillion in generated revenue in 2022 and ₦4.65 trillion in 2024, representing a humongous increase of over 70 per cent.”
He insisted that the lingering crisis was not due to a lack of resources but what he called a “lack of political will.”
Igbafen declared that the Benin Zone was fully prepared to abide by any directive from the union’s National Executive Council regarding the resumption of the suspended strike.
“Benin Zone of ASUU is ready for the directive of the NEC of our union to resume the suspended strike action at the expiration of the given one-month window,” he concluded.
© 2025 Naijaonpoint, a division of NOP Media Inc. Contact us via [email protected]