The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ibadan Zone, issued a strong warning to the Federal Government on Monday, drawing attention to what it described as a looming and entirely avoidable industrial crisis in Nigeria’s public universities. The warning came during a press conference held on Monday at the University of Ibadan, addressed by the Zonal Coordinator, Professor ‘Biodun Olaniran, on behalf of the union.

Speaking before a gathering of journalists, academics, and concerned stakeholders, Prof. Olaniran criticised the Federal Government’s persistent failure to honour past agreements, fund university revitalisation, uphold university autonomy, and address critical welfare issues affecting academic staff nationwide.

Olaniran warned, “The calm within the university system in recent years should not be mistaken for resolution. Our members have exercised remarkable patience, but that patience is wearing thin. Another strike is looming—because the government continues to neglect its responsibilities.”

ASUU highlighted the failure to implement the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, which was originally meant to be reviewed every three years. Despite years of negotiations involving successive government-appointed committees—most recently the 2021 draft agreement with the Late Emeritus Prof. Nimi Briggs—the Federal Government has refused to sign or implement any outcomes.

Olaniran also referenced the Alhaji Yayale Ahmed Report, submitted in February 2025, as a potential breakthrough document, but expressed scepticism over the government’s silence and apparent unwillingness to act.

“Our members are no longer ready to be dragged along by delay tactics and broken promises. Even a goat, when pushed to the wall, will react,” he stated pointedly.

ASUU also condemned the chronic underfunding of public universities, citing Nigeria’s education budget allocation—barely seven per cent in 2025 —as far below the UNESCO-recommended 15–26 per cent and even trailing behind countries like Kenya and Ghana.

Olaniran lamented, “No Nigerian public university ranks among the world’s top 1,000 institutions. Laboratories are under-equipped, lecture halls are overcrowded, and student accommodations are deplorable. The promised N150 billion revitalisation fund remains unfulfilled.”

The union decried the continued victimisation of its members in Lagos State University (LASU), Kogi State University (KSU), and Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), who are allegedly being punished for their union activities and resistance to illegal appointments.

ASUU further accused the Tinubu-led administration of undermining university governance by dissolving governing councils without cause and replacing them with political loyalists. They also objected to the centralisation of academic curriculum via the NUC’s CCMAS policy and the illegal imposition of Acting Vice-Chancellors, describing these moves as unconstitutional and detrimental to academic freedom.

ASUU demanded the immediate payment of 3.5 months’ withheld salaries from the 2022 strike, the outstanding 25–35 per cent wage award arrears, promised but yet to be paid, and over four years of promotion arrears, resulting from IPPIS inefficiencies.

It also demanded the N10 billion shortfall in the N50 billion Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) allocated for academic staff but shared among all university personnel, and the mainstreaming of EAA into monthly salaries, as agreed upon in the 2009 agreement and reaffirmed in 2020.

The union also called for an investigation into the non-remittance of third-party deductions by IPPIS and some university authorities—accusing them of illegally diverting cooperative dues, pension contributions, and union deductions into private hands.

ASUU urged Nigerians to intervene and pressure the Federal Government to meet its obligations and prevent further disruptions to the nation’s already fragile academic calendar.

“We are peace-loving and patriotic, but we will not stand by while the welfare and dignity of our members are trampled upon,” Prof. Olaniran declared. “The time for lip service is over. Our members are ready to act.”

The ASUU Ibadan Zone comprises the University of Ibadan, the University of Ilorin, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Kwara State University (KWASU), and Emmanuel Alayande University of Education (EAUED).

ASUU warned that while it remains open to dialogue and peaceful resolution, inaction or further stalling by the Federal Government will provoke a swift and coordinated response, including industrial action. The nation, the union insists, must choose between meaningful dialogue and a fresh shutdown of public universities.