The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Owerri Zone has condemned what is described as the skewed implementation of the 2025 agreement it had with the Federal Government.
It was in December 2025 that the ASUU and the Federal Government reached and signed an agreement aimed at addressing the numerous issues driving sustained agitations and industrial actions by the university lecturers.
With its public presentation in January 2026, there were high hopes that finally, the universities will begin to experience a turnaround, especially as it concerns infrastructure and academic staff welfare, among others.
But, the ASUU Owerri zone has now expressed concerns that the momentum of trust and goodwill generated with the unveiling of the agreement is fast waning and may soon be lost if the government’s promise to fully implement the Agreement is not kept.
The ASUU Owerri Zonal Coordinator, Prof Dennis Aribodor gave the view during a press briefing at the ASUU Nnamdi Azikiwe University hall, Awka, on the outcome of their review of the implementation of the signed Agreement and other outstanding issues.
Aribodor explained that their worry is because of the government’s failure to inaugurate the Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC) expected to shield the Agreement from bureaucratic bottlenecks and guide its strategic actualization.
He observed that so far, the Federal Government agents have implemented it in a distorted and uncoordinated manner, while very few state governments have embraced and implemented aspects of the Agreement.
“Administrators of Federal universities are picking and choosing what to pay among the Consolidated Academic Tool Allowances (CATA), Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) and Professorial Allowances (PA) whereas all of these should have been mainstreamed with the Consolidated Academic Staff Salary Scale (CONUASS) as monthly salary packages for the concerned academic staff.
“Notwithstanding that representatives of Governing Councils of State universities actively participated in the negotiations and signing of the Agreement, some State governors, Visitors to State universities, have apparently turned their back on the Agreement.
“It is sad to note that no state university in the South East has implemented the Agreement. ASUU Owerri Zone strongly condemns the partial or non-implementation of the salary component of the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement by Vice-Chancellors.
“We call on Federal and State governments to respect the letters and spirit of the Agreement for lasting industrial harmony on our campuses. ASUU Owerri Zone shall stop at nothing to ensure that all our members fully benefit from the modest gains of the eight-year long negotiation (2017-2025).
“The gap created by non-inauguration of the IMC is equally evident in the distorted implementation of another key component of the December 2025 Agreement – the proposed National Research Council (NRC).
“On Wednesday, 7th April, 2026, the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, announced that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had concluded plans to establish a National Research and Innovation Development Fund (NRIDF) to which ASUU had no input whatsoever!
We are surprised that the Minister’s proposal talks of $500 million without reference to the FGN-ASUU Agreement which calls for ‘at least 1% equivalent of GDP as source of funding research, innovation, and development.’
“While the Union is not averse to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and other stakeholders making contributions to the development of the legal and policy frameworks of the Fund, ASUU Owerri Zone calls on the Federal Government to be properly guided by the well-thought-out frameworks and objectives set out for it in the new FGN-ASUU Agreement.
“We shall resist any attempt to hijack and derail the research and development agenda by external agents and their local collaborators. We are at a loss as to why the Minister preferred to denominate the funding in dollars! Are they going to get another debt to fund research, or is government beholden to promises by Bretton-woods institutions to fund research in Nigeria? The sources for funding the proposed National Research Council are clearly spelled out in Agreement,” he said.
The ASUU Owerri zone also condemned the irregular appointments, misappropriation of funds, disrespect for extant laws and other questionable practices perpetrated in the universities by Vice Chancellors, insisting that such abuse of office will not be tolerated.
He said, “Vice-Chancellors in recent years have introduced extraneous positions like ‘Professor of Practice’ and ‘Diaspora Professors, which are unknown to their University Senates and Governing Councils, to reward their cronies and benefactors. In the process, people with doubtful academic credentials find their way into the university system and some even rise to become vice-chancellors.
“Our Union had equally challenged vice-chancellors for lack of transparency and accountability in handling university finances and took on pro-chancellors who overreached their mandates. The increasing incidence of maladministration of Nigerian universities must be arrested because of its debilitating effects on the academic environment respected for probity, transparency and accountability. Credibility is the currency for effective leadership and governance of a university.”
It also raised concerns over key issues in the two state universities under the zone- Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) and the Imo State University Owerri (IMSU), demanding urgent attention from their respective Visitors (State Governors), including the withheld salaries of academic staff that participated in the 2020 and 2022 Strike actions; the non-implementation of 25% and 35% wage awards and the current N70,000 minimum wage.
The ASUU called on all critical stakeholders including traditional rulers, religious leaders, students, parents, the NLC, media and civil society groups, to urge governments (both states and federal) to ensure the faithful implementation of the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement and address the stated outstanding issues to avoid disruptions in our universities.
