The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are being blamed by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for trying to hurt Nigeria’s state university system. People are still angry that the reworking of the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government Agreement has not happened yet, which led to this strong accusation. Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and Memoranda of Action (MoAs) have been signed many times over the years, but the deal has still not been signed. This is making the union more and more unhappy.
ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, spoke out against the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) and other unresolved issues at the ASUU Heroes Day 2024-2025 ceremony in Abuja. He said that these issues were troubling him and brought up other issues that needed to be addressed. The union also said that the federal government should not have withheld the pay of ASUU members for three and a half months, which made things worse between the union and the government.
Professor Osodeke also used the chance to say that N500,000 Ph.D. grants would be given to some ASUU members whose bids had been accepted. This grant is part of ASUU’s attempts to help its members do better in school and in research, even though many of them have tough working conditions. The leaders of the union praised the strength of its members, especially those who were going through tough times at schools like Kogi State University, Lagos State University, Ebonyi State University, and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University.
Honouring and reflecting on those who have helped make Nigeria’s public school system better was the purpose of the Heroes Day event. Professor Osodeke especially thanked the late Professor Festus Iyayi, who was president of ASUU, and other union members from the past and present who have made big sacrifices in the fight for good public schools in Nigeria.
People see ASUU’s continued fight with the federal government over these issues as part of a larger fight to protect and improve the standards of public universities in Nigeria. This is to make sure that outside pressures and systemic problems don’t hurt the education system even more. The union is still pushing for better working conditions, more money, and a general improvement in Nigeria’s higher education system.
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