The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), on Thursday kicked against the Federal Government’s approval of new private universities despite its recent declaration of a seven-year moratorium on establishing new tertiary institutions.
This is even as the union has also rejected the government’s newly introduced loan scheme for tertiary institution workers, insisting that what academics truly need is the full implementation of the 2009 agreement with the union.
ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, in a statement, questioned the rationale for the move, saying access to university education in Nigeria was no longer a challenge.
He described the approval of additional licences as “scandalous proliferation,” warning that it would worsen poor staffing, devalue degrees, and further erase Nigerian universities from global rankings.
The union maintained that successive governments had turned university licences into political patronage rather than investing in the proper development of existing institutions.
“We have watched universities turn into compensation for political patronage. Past and present administrations must cover their faces in shame for this scandalous proliferation of universities,” Piwuna stated.
He stressed that ASUU had for over a decade warned of the dangers of “mushroom universities” without clear plans for growth, noting that more than 30 universities already had zero admission subscriptions.
“Spreading scarce resources over a large surface area is meaningless and wasteful,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, speaking at a press conference in Jos, Plateau State, Piwuna described the loan scheme as a “poisoned chalice,” noting that lecturers were already overburdened with debts.
He argued that funds earmarked for the loan should instead be used to offset outstanding salary arrears owed to lecturers.
“Our members do not lack where to find loans; indeed, they are already deep in debt. Government should use the money set aside for loans to defray our withheld salaries.
What we need now is for government to sign our renegotiated agreement, which will improve our purchasing power and strengthen our universities,” he said.
The ASUU leader accused the government of neglecting its responsibilities, citing the long-delayed renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, which covers funding, university autonomy, academic freedom, and improved conditions of service.
He further condemned the government’s priorities, questioning why loans were being introduced while unresolved issues of revitalisation funds, outstanding arrears, and promotion backlogs remained pending.