Another storm is gathering in Nigeria’s universities, and this time it may be worse than before. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised its voice again, warning the Federal Government that lecturers are angry, frustrated, and tired of endless promises. If the government continues to drag its feet, the country should not be surprised when another strike begins.
For more than eight months now, the government has been sitting on a draft agreement to improve lecturers’ working conditions. This agreement, first signed in 2009, was supposed to be reviewed long ago. However, here we are in 2025, still talking about it. The lecturers are not complaining for fun — they are teaching on empty stomachs, driving rickety cars, and trying to do research without basic books, chemicals, or journals.
How can we expect world-class graduates from lecturers who are treated like this? Ironically, the same people in power who neglect them are quick to complain that Nigerian graduates are “unemployable”. The Minister of Education recently said there will never be another ASUU strike because of “dialogue” and “good relationships”. That is fine talk, but Nigerian lecturers have heard fine talk for years. What they want now is action — payment of earned allowances, release of revitalisation funds, and full respect for the agreement already signed.
This is not just about salaries. It is about creating an environment where teaching, research, and community service can thrive. Since 2012, when the 2009 deal was due for review, successive governments have played a game of “pick and choose” with the agreement. They implement what suits them and ignore the rest. That is not collective bargaining, that is betrayal.
We also see political interference in the appointment of Vice Chancellors, with merit and scholarship pushed aside for politics and contracts. When universities are turned into political spoils, quality dies. The government has even introduced the controversial IPPIS payment platform, which ASUU says is full of corruption loopholes. Lecturers who refuse to join it are punished. Promotions are given without the necessary funding. Some have years of unpaid promotion arrears. This is a clear message to our best minds: “We do not value you.” The irony is bitter — we now talk of bringing back Nigerian academics from abroad as “volunteers” through a so-called “Diaspora Bridge”. On what foundation will such a bridge stand if those at home are struggling to survive?
If Nigeria truly wants a knowledge-driven economy, it must start by respecting its knowledge workers. Lecturers are not asking for luxury; they are asking for fairness, respect, and the tools to do their job. The time to act is now. Dialogue without action is noise. Memoranda without implementation are wastepaper. If the government fails to listen, the next crisis in our universities will not be a surprise — it will be the direct result of neglect. When you starve the teacher, you starve the nation’s future. Nigeria cannot afford that.
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