The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a stern warning to the Federal Government over its continued failure to implement the 2009 agreement, urging key stakeholders in the education sector to intervene and avert another round of industrial action.

Speaking during a press briefing in Asaba, Delta State, on Monday, the ASUU Benin Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Monday Lewis Igbafen, expressed deep frustration over what he described as the government’s persistent insincerity and disregard for the union’s demands.

“There will be action if the Federal Government fails to honour the 2009 agreement,” Igbafen declared. “In fact, strike is not completely ruled out for a government that is not normal. A government that is not sincere, a government that tells lies—so strike is one of the options. Yes, enough is enough.”

The union leader noted that while ASUU’s national leadership would soon convene to determine the next course of action, the current trajectory strongly suggests that industrial action may be taken if the situation remains unresolved.

“This is a defining moment in the history of university education in Nigeria,” Igbafen said. “It has become crystal clear that the Federal Government and its agents are inexplicably determined to cripple academic activities in the nation’s universities once more.”

He lamented that 16 years after the initial agreement was signed, the Federal Government has yet to finalise and implement the renegotiated terms. These terms, he says, are critical to addressing poor conditions of service, underfunding, and governance issues in Nigerian universities.

Since ASUU suspended its last strike in October 2022, Igbafen stated that the government has failed to sign the draft renegotiated agreement, despite acknowledging it as a key step toward resolving the ongoing disputes.

“The satisfactory and conclusive renegotiation of the Agreement and its successful implementation is the only desirable solution to the worsening living and working conditions of staff, the pandemic problem of underfunding, and other challenges of university governance in Nigeria,” Igbafen stated.

He further criticised the Federal Government’s continued failure to pay arrears of promotion entitlements, withheld salaries, and third-party deductions, all while the cost of living continues to soar.

“It is unimaginable that in the face of the daily exponential increases in the cost of basic services and goods in Nigeria, university lecturers have been abandoned to grapple with the harsh realities of an abysmally poor salary structure they have endured for 16 agonising years,” he said.

According to the ASUU leader, the neglect has not only eroded the dignity of lecturers but has also led to a brain drain, as many academics leave Nigeria in search of better opportunities abroad.

“Whereas it is a known fact that no nation can develop beyond the quality of its education, it is worrisome that the Federal Government will continue to treat the education of its citizenry with levity,” Igbafen lamented.

He therefore urged all stakeholders, including parents, students, and civil society, to pressure the government into fulfilling its promises to prevent another disruption to academic activities in Nigeria’s public universities.