Cites 52 disruptions, claims turnaround since 2023 Crisis far from over, education advocate warns
The Federal Government has said that Nigeria lost a cumulative five years to industrial actions by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), 10 years prior to President Bola Tinibu’s assumption of office in 2023.
According to the government, the frequent disruptions not only prolonged academic calendars but also affected the quality of learning and the global competitiveness of graduates from Nigerian universities.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, stated this in Abuja at the official launch of the Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Business Incubation Certification (EIBIC) programme.
Dr Alausa noted that public tertiary institutions have had to endure repeated shutdowns, leading to delayed graduations and, in many cases, loss of motivation. This, he declared, has been nipped in the bud.
New Musk reports that although ASUU had embarked on warning strikes since the current administration assumed office in 2023, the actions have not been prolonged enough to significantly disrupt the academic calendar or delay students’ graduation.
This, Alausa, attributed to President Bola Tinubu’s proactive engagement with the Union, improved dialogue mechanisms, and timely interventions aimed at addressing lecturers’ concerns before they escalate into full-blown industrial actions.
Alausa insisted that in the present administration, a four-year programme now runs its full course within four years, noting that such consistency has not been achieved in the past three decades.
He said: “This President, when he campaigned, he said, four years will be four years. People that matriculated when President Bola Tinubu got sworn in 2023 will be graduating this year. This has never happened in our education system in the last 30 years.
“In the last 10 years, we have had almost 52 ASUU strikes. And there have been lost academic days of almost 1,700 days. Calculate that almost five years of lost academic days. Since May of 2023 that has been brought down to zero”.
Stakeholders have expressed concern that frequent disruptions in academic calendar due to ASUU strikes has hampered the global ranking of Nigerian universities
According to the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) rankings, two Nigerian universities – the University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos – were ranked between 801 and 1000 among the world’s top 1,000 universities.
Indications emerged that the relative stability in public universities may be short-lived, as ASUU has threatened fresh industrial action over delays in implementing its renegotiated agreement with the Federal Government.
There is growing tension across federal universities following failure to commence full implementation of the agreement about three months after it was signed and presented to the public.
The deal, which stakeholders say could resolve the 16-year dispute over the 2009 agreement, was scheduled to take effect from January 1, 2026. It includes a 40 per cent salary increase for lecturers, improved pension benefits, and enhanced earned academic allowances.
Investigations in several federal universities including the University of Lagos, University of Abuja (UNIABUJA), University of Calabar (UNICAL), Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun (FUPRE), Federal University of Otuoke, Federal University of Lafia (FULAFIA), Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko (NMU), Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences, Kwale (FUK), Federal University of Technology Minna, Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, among others, revealed that the agreement is yet to fully take effect in the last two months, contrary to claims by the Nigerian government that total implementation had commenced.
In UNILAG for instance, lecturers lamented what they called ‘amputated’ salaries received from the university management in January and February 2026 and had threatened to embark on strike.
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, had, in an interview with The Guardian a fortnight ago, warned that the Union would decide its next line of action if there is no progress by the end of March.
He identified delays in the approval of the budget as a major constraint to implementing the salary component of the agreement.
“If by the end of March we don’t see any progress, the Union will meet to take a position,” he said.
Last week, Piwuna also issued a four-day ultimatum to the Federal Government during a public lecture at Sa’adu Zungur University, Bauchi State, demanding immediate implementation of the new salary structure.
“Failure to comply will attract a strong response from the Union,” he warned.
However, the Education Rights Campaign has described the Minister’s claim as misleading and lacking depth.
In a chat with New Musk, the National Mobilisation Officer of the Campaign, Michael Adaramoye, argued that it is “not factually correct” to claim that five years were lost to strikes within a decade prior to the administration of President Tinubu. He maintained that focusing on the number of years lost to strikes misses the broader issues affecting the sector, describing such an approach as “myopic.”
According to him, there has been no significant improvement under the current administration, stressing that the education sector continues to suffer from chronic underfunding, deteriorating infrastructure, and poor working conditions. He added that students now bear the brunt through rising tuition fees and declining learning environments.
SOURCE: NEWMUSK
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