The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed deep skepticism over the Federal Government’s claim of releasing N50 billion for the settlement of earned allowances owed to federal university workers.
ASUU’s National President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, made the union’s position clear during an exclusive interview with the Nigerian Tribune over the weekend.
Last week, Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, announced that the government had disbursed N50 billion to cover outstanding earned allowances for academic and non-academic staff across federal universities. The news quickly spread across media platforms.
However, Professor Osodeke said ASUU would not believe the government’s claim until their members begin receiving actual bank alerts. He stressed that the union had learned from bitter past experiences not to trust announcements made “on paper” or through media channels.
“We heard about the so-called payment like every other Nigerian through the media. There is no official communication yet,” Osodeke stated.
He acknowledged that while there had been a verbal discussion with the Minister of Education recently, it was not sufficient proof for ASUU to believe the matter had been truly resolved.
According to him, “Successive governments in Nigeria have built a record of making promises they often fail to fulfill.”
Osodeke also criticized the government for celebrating the release of earned allowances, insisting that the matter of allowances was only one among many unresolved issues between ASUU and the Federal Government.
He pointed out that the N50 billion announced can only settle two years out of the eight years’ worth of arrears owed to university staff. He emphasized that the union had proposed that the government pay two years’ arrears, while ASUU members might forgo the remaining six years as a sacrifice but even that offer had not been acted upon.
Highlighting deeper grievances, Osodeke stressed that the government was yet to conclude negotiations on the 2009 ASUU-FG agreement, which involves critical issues like a new salary structure, revitalization funds for universities, and improved working conditions.
The ASUU president recounted how several renegotiation committees set up over the years including those chaired by Dr. Wale Babalakin, Professor Nimi Briggs, and most recently Dr. Yayale Ahmed had all ended in failure.
According to him, Each committee meets with ASUU, promises to report back to government officials, and then disappears, only for a new committee to be set up later without any meaningful progress.
He revealed that the last committee, headed by Dr. Yayale Ahmed, concluded talks with ASUU as far back as November 2024, yet five months later, nothing concrete has emerged.
Osodeke concluded by warning that ASUU would not be drawn into celebrating mere announcements but would stand firm until there is real, tangible proof of action from the Federal Government.
