The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed deep frustration over the prolonged deadlock in its negotiations with the Federal Government, warning that the patience of university lecturers is running thin.

Speaking in an interview with Punch in Jos on Sunday, ASUU National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, said that the union could no longer tolerate the government’s repeated failure to honour commitments made in the 2009 agreement.

“We are tired of words and promises,” Piwuna declared.

Naijaonpoint reports that the ASUU president lamented that it had been seven years since renegotiations began with the government without any concrete outcome.

He said, “Our efforts are frustrated by the government. It has been seven years now since we started the renegotiation with the government.

“It has reached a point that something must give way. We either have an agreement or we don’t. We are tired of words and promises of action. Our members can only respond to action.”

Piwuna noted that the union’s demands for better working conditions, university autonomy, academic freedom, sustainable funding, and earned academic allowances had been on the table for years without resolution.

Highlighting the deterioration in public university education, the ASUU leader said the root causes were well-known and preventable.

“We believe that the infrastructural decay, demoralised staff, cultism and quality of education in our universities can best be addressed through increased funding and improved remuneration for our members,” he said.

He also stressed that improved welfare was crucial to maintaining academic excellence and restoring integrity to the system.

Piwuna also called for inclusive reforms, urging the government to involve non-teaching staff in salary reviews to avoid institutional friction.

“Let me be clear, non-teaching staff of the university should be carried along as our salaries are reviewed. It will promote harmony and stabilise the system,” he further stated.

Piwuna cautioned the Federal Government that the union would not be held responsible for the fallout of another breakdown in talks.

“In the days and weeks ahead, the government should be ready to accept whatever they see,” he warned.