The Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities (COPSUN) has urged the Federal Government to act swiftly to prevent a fresh strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
In a communiqué issued after its 69th meeting in Abuja, chaired by Acting Chairman Prof Ayodeji Omole, the pro-chancellors warned that Nigeria’s universities could not withstand another round of industrial action. They noted that institutions were still recovering from the last prolonged strike, which disrupted academic calendars nationwide. “The nation cannot afford another round of industrial action in the university system as the universities are yet to recover from the disruptions of the last crisis fully,” the communiqué read.
ASUU has continued to press for the implementation of the renegotiated 2009 FG-ASUU agreement, with demands on salaries, conditions of service, funding, autonomy, and a review of laws governing the National Universities Commission.
COPSUN recommended that the government increase annual budgetary allocations to education and include pro-chancellors in negotiations with university unions to ensure smoother dispute resolution. The group also welcomed a moratorium on establishing new universities, calling instead for consolidation and better funding of existing institutions.
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