The Senate has announced plans to intervene in the ongoing industrial dispute between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government, describing the situation as unacceptable.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Senator Aliyu Dandutse, disclosed this on Thursday after a closed-door session with ASUU leadership in Abuja.
He said the Senate would immediately initiate a negotiation process involving key stakeholders, including ASUU, the Ministry of Education, and the National Universities Commission (NUC), to find a lasting solution to the crisis.
“The Senate will interface with the FCT Minister on the land matter, and other concerns raised will be carefully studied. Appropriate steps will be taken to ensure an amicable and lasting resolution,” Dandutse said.
The Committee also urged ASUU to submit a comprehensive list of its demands in writing to enable the Senate to determine both immediate and long-term policy measures to address the challenges in the education sector.
During the session, ASUU reiterated its long-standing demands, calling on the Federal Government to increase funding for public universities.
ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna, said the ongoing two-week warning strike, which began on October 13, stemmed from unresolved issues dating back to 2011.
“We engaged the Federal Government for eight years without tangible results. The Yayale Ahmed Committee report, submitted in December 2024, was ignored until this industrial action began,” Piwuna stated.
He listed ASUU’s key demands to include sustainable funding, improved conditions of service, revitalisation of public universities, and academic autonomy, noting that these remain unchanged.
Piwuna challenged the National Assembly to compel the Federal Government to adequately fund universities, saying, “Try us. Push the government to fund universities adequately, and you’ll see the end of strikes and the improvement of our universities in global rankings.”
The ASUU president revealed that although ₦150 billion was approved by the National Assembly for universities, only ₦50 billion had been released, which he alleged remains stuck at the Ministry of Education.
He warned that the approved funds, meant specifically for universities, must not be diverted or shared with polytechnics and colleges of education.
ASUU also raised alarm over alleged attempts by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to acquire part of the 10,000 hectares of land belonging to the University of Abuja.
“We are worried because the University of Abuja is located in the FCT. Anyone serious about higher education should be focused on developing it. If the minister wants land, he should look elsewhere,” ASUU stated.
The union appealed to the Senate to intervene and prevail upon the FCT Minister to desist from any action that would affect the university’s land.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has maintained that it has addressed all of ASUU’s demands and remains open to continued dialogue. However, it has also enforced the “no-work, no-pay” policy on striking lecturers.
The Senate’s intervention marks the latest effort by lawmakers to mediate in the recurring dispute between the Federal Government and ASUU, which has repeatedly disrupted academic calendars in Nigerian public universities.
