The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) has raised concerns about the increasing number of public universities established by the federal and state governments. Additionally, the union is troubled by the numerous licenses granted to individuals and organizations for creating private universities without proper funding plans to maintain high academic standards.
These issues were highlighted during a press conference held at the MOUAU ASUU secretariat on the university campus. The chairman of ASUU at MOUAU, M.C. Ugwuene, discussed these matters in a statement co-signed by the union’s secretary, C.C. Osodeke, titled “The lingering and unresolved issues between Federal Government and ASUU: Who is deceiving who?”
Ugwuene pointed out that Nigeria now has over 170 universities. Of these, 79 are privately owned by individuals and organizations, while the federal and state governments own 43 and 48, respectively. He described this rapid increase as alarming.
“The establishment of private universities by politicians and their associates is a strategy to undermine the strength and academic standards of public universities in Nigeria, where the children of the poor and the average citizen typically attend,” Ugwuene stated.
ASUU has accused the federal government of failing to implement agreements reached with the union 15 years ago. One significant unfulfilled agreement involves the adequate funding of universities. ASUU noted that out of the N1.3 trillion recommended for university infrastructure development, only N250 billion has been released since 2013.
Regarding the welfare of university staff, ASUU highlighted the meager salaries of professors compared to politicians. “Currently, a Professor at the peak of their career earns about N500,000 per month, significantly lower than the average in West Africa and Africa. This is particularly disheartening when compared to the exorbitant salaries and allowances of approximately N29 million per month for Senators and about N23 million for members of the House of Representatives,” Ugwuene remarked. “These excessive salaries of unproductive politicians are a major factor in the country’s current poor state, and this disparity is unacceptable.”
The union also pointed out several other areas where the federal government has failed to honor its agreements with ASUU. These include withheld salaries from the 2022 ASUU strike, non-payment of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), violation of university autonomy, failure to scrap the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), illegal dissolution of governing councils, and the imposition of the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standard (CCMS).
Following the press conference, ASUU members marched around the university campus, singing solidarity songs. They called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently address these pressing issues.
