ASUU Faults Federal Government’s Claim of Insufficient Funds

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Bauchi Zone, has dismissed the Federal Government’s claim that a shortage of funds is preventing it from fully meeting the salary demands of university lecturers.

Speaking at a press briefing in Jos, the Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Timothy Namu, insisted that the issue is not lack of funds but a lack of political will and misplaced priorities in the management of the country’s resources.

Namu cited data from the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC), noting that allocations to states increased from ₦3.92 trillion in 2022 to ₦5.81 trillion in 2024, representing a 62% rise. He added that the Federal Government’s share also rose from ₦3.42 trillion in 2022 to ₦4.65 trillion in 2024, an increase of over 70%.

“These statistics confirm that the problem is not funding. It is the government’s priorities that make education continue to suffer,” he argued.

ASUU said the government’s responses so far do not show that education is considered a national priority, nor do they indicate a genuine commitment to preventing disruptions in universities.

Namu explained that ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC), during its meeting at Taraba State University from November 8 to 9, reviewed the government’s reaction following the suspension of the warning strike and rejected the proposed salary increment, describing it as “a drop in the ocean” that cannot address the worsening brain drain in the university system.

Although ASUU suspended its warning strike after noting partial progress, the union lamented that almost nothing meaningful has been achieved within the four-week grace period it gave the government.

ASUU called on traditional rulers, students, civil society groups, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the National Assembly and other stakeholders to prevail upon the government to take urgent action and prevent another round of crises in Nigerian universities.