Get Guardian on GoogleTHE Vice-Chancellor of Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, Delta State, Prof. Samuel Asagba, has taken a hard swipe at the Federal Government over its persistent mishandling of agreements with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), warning that the recurring cycle of strikes and campus closures is crippling the nation’s educational future.
Speaking during a press briefing yesterday to mark his one year in office, Asagba said the endless disruption of academic activities, triggered largely by the government’s failure to implement negotiated welfare packages, has left Nigeria’s university system unstable, unattractive and far from global standards.
He challenged President Bola Tinubu to urgently introduce a regular and automatic salary adjustment structure for university staff, similar to the periodic upward reviews enjoyed by the military, to avert future industrial unrest.
Asagba said: “It is high time ASUU is called and negotiated with. With our salaries streamlined, lecturers won’t have to cry out every time. The government adjusts military salaries silently every three or four years. Why can’t they do that for universities? Why can’t they treat us as important stakeholders in this nation?”
The VC lamented the erosion of respect for the academic profession, recalling that in the 1960s, a Nigerian professor’s salary and status were comparable to that of the Chief Justice of Nigeria.
Asagba faulted what he described as the Federal Government’s “habitual breach” of memoranda signed with ASUU, noting that each unfulfilled agreement triggers another round of confrontation, leaving students stranded, academic calendars distorted, research weakened, and universities losing competitiveness.
Despite the national dysfunction, Asagba highlighted sweeping reforms and achievements recorded within his first year, insisting that DELSU is quietly repositioning itself as a modern, technology-driven institution.
