Nigeria’s public universities are once more on the edge, with lecturers under the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) threatening what they call the “mother of all strikes” over the lingering 2009 agreement with the Federal Government.
This pact, meant to revitalise higher education and boost lecturer welfare, has become a symbol of broken trust, sparking protests across campuses and raising fears of another shutdown.
As of August 2025, ASUU branches in places like the University of Calabar and Bayero University Kano have hit the streets, demanding full implementation amid stalled talks.
With over 2 million students affected yearly by such disruptions, this crisis isn’t just about salaries it’s a battle for the soul of Nigeria’s education system.
Back in January 2009, after years of wrangling, ASUU and the Federal Government signed an agreement aimed at halting the collapse of university education. This document, often shrouded in secrecy until leaked in 2013, was an adaptation of a 2001 pact and addressed the dire state of Nigerian universities underfunded, overcrowded, and plagued by poor infrastructure.
Signed by ASUU President Ukachukwu Awuzei, Committee of Pro-Chancellors Chairman Bolanle Babalakin, and re-negotiation committee head Gamaliel Onosode, it was a comprehensive roadmap to inject life into the system.
At its heart was a massive funding commitment. The agreement stipulated that each federal university should receive at least N1.5 trillion between 2009 and 2011 to revitalise facilities, while state universities got N3.6 million per student in the same period. It also pushed for at least 26% of Nigeria’s annual budget to go to education, with half of that funneled to universities, a benchmark drawn from UNESCO recommendations.
“The agreement demanded a heavy financial commitment from the government,” as noted in a 2013 Premium Times analysis, highlighting its focus on long-term sustainability.
Welfare provisions were equally detailed. It outlined a breakdown of lecturers’ salary structures, including staff loans, pensions, overtime, and moderation of examinations. Key among these was the Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), compensating for extra duties like research and supervision, estimated at N92 billion initially. Other clauses covered amendment of pensionable retirement age for professors, Consolidated Peculiar Allowances (CONPUAA) for university teaching staff, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) integration, and setting up budget monitoring committees in all public universities. These were designed to make academic careers viable, addressing issues like low wages that had driven a brain drain over 10,000 Nigerian lecturers fled to foreign universities between 2000 and 2010, per a 2012 ASUU report.
The pact also tackled broader systemic woes: rising student populations (from 500,000 in 2000 to over 1.5 million by 2009), declining institutional autonomy, and erratic funding. It called for renegotiation every three years to adjust for inflation and economic changes. Yet, from the start, implementation faltered. A 2013 government statement claimed most issues were met except EAA, but ASUU disputed this, pointing to unfulfilled funding promises. By 2025, with inflation at 34% (National Bureau of Statistics, 2025), these clauses feel even more outdated, yet binding in ASUU’s view.
Fast-forward to August 2025, and the agreement is at the centre of ASUU’s fury. Despite renegotiation efforts like the 2017 and 2019 Memoranda of Action (MOA) and committees under Wale Babalakin (2017) and Nimi Briggs (2022) key elements gather dust.
ASUU President Dr. Christopher Piwuna, speaking at a University of Jos press conference on August 21, lamented, “Lecturers have endured over two years of broken promises and delay tactics by the government.” He listed unresolved issues: renegotiation of the 2009 pact, outstanding salary arrears, withheld promotions, and retired lecturers’ welfare, where professors with 40 years’ service get as low as N150,000 monthly amid soaring living costs.
The Federal Government, however, denies the document’s binding nature. Education Minister Tunji Alausa, addressing journalists on August 28, clarified, “The documents ASUU has been referring to as agreements were just proposals that were never signed.”
He described them as drafts from negotiations, not legally enforceable, and stressed the Tinubu administration’s push for “sustainable, constitutionally-backed solutions” over “bogus or unsustainable agreements.” This stance echoes past administrations; in 2022, former Minister Adamu Adamu claimed N1.2 trillion in revitalisation demands were “liquidated” via over N2.5 trillion in TETFund interventions from 2012-2022, yet ASUU counters that only N40 billion of N50 billion EAA was paid, leaving N10 billion outstanding.
Protests erupted nationwide in late August 2025, with ASUU chapters in Calabar, Kano, and Ilorin rallying. University of Calabar Chairman Dr. Peter Ubi warned on August 27, “The planned industrial action would commence once the national body declares it after its August 28 meeting.”
He accused the government of exhausting dialogue options. Meanwhile, a high-level meeting on August 28, involving the Minister of State for Education, Labour Minister, Solicitor-General, and agency heads like NUC and TETFund, aimed to harmonise proposals for the Yayale Ahmed-led renegotiation committee.
Alausa assured, “We are committed to solving this problem once and for all… The President has made it clear that every promise made to ASUU and Nigerians will be fulfilled truthfully and honestly.”
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has long expressed frustration over the lack of compliance with agreements made with the Nigerian government. A key point of contention stems from the 2009 agreement, which promised significant improvements in funding for the education sector. However, the government’s failure to meet these promises has led to numerous strikes over the years. Since 1999, ASUU has embarked on 16 strikes, amounting to over 1,500 days of disruptions, deeply affecting the quality of education in the country.
In 2013, following a five-month strike, the government released N200 billion, but this was far from the promised trillions. The economic impact of these strikes has been profound, with the 2022 strike alone costing the Nigerian economy an estimated N1.2 trillion. These repeated disruptions have also contributed to Nigeria’s decline in global university rankings, which has dropped from the top 500 in 2000 to below 1,000 in 2025, according to the QS World University Rankings.
Despite the growing number of universities in Nigeria 72 federal and 159 private by 2025 the country’s education budget remains well below global standards. A 2024 World Bank report highlights that Nigeria’s education budget stands at just 5-7% of its GDP, far below the 15-20% recommended for developing nations.
This underfunding has resulted in significant challenges, including a 25% failure rate in laboratory equipment, according to data from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA). Furthermore, the proliferation of universities without corresponding increases in funding has strained the sector’s resources, with overstretched faculties and underutilized facilities threatening to undermine academic standards.
The historical non-implementation of agreements and the lack of adequate funding are central to ASUU’s ongoing struggle. These challenges not only affect the academic community but also the broader Nigerian society, as they undermine the quality of higher education and, by extension, the country’s human capital development.
Students bear the brunt. A 2023 study in the International Journal of Research in Education found strikes disrupt calendars, leading to rushed graduations and half-baked graduates 45% of Nigerian university alumni are unemployed or underemployed (National Bureau of Statistics, 2024). In South-East universities from 2012-2022, strikes correlated with a 20% drop in student performance (IJAAR study). Surveys show 66.7% of students feel anxious post-strike, with 69.3% viewing education as “losing its worth” (2021 ResearchGate analysis). Social vices spike: during the 2022 strike, kidnapping and cultism cases rose 15% in university host communities (Nigeria Police data), as idle students turn to crime or drugs.
Lecturers suffer too. The “no work, no pay” policy, enforced in 2022, withheld billions in salaries, pushing 84 deaths from hardship (ASUU 2023 report). Pensions remain woefully low, and IPPIS-to-GIFMIS transition delays payments by up to 10 days monthly (ASUU 2025). A 2021 study on psycho-social impacts in South-East universities found strikes cause stress, reduced morale, and family strains for 78% of staff.
Economically, strikes cost Nigeria 0.5% GDP annually (World Bank, 2024), stunting innovation only 43% digital literacy among graduates (UNESCO 2023). Globally, countries like South Korea allocate 25% of budgets to education, yielding top rankings; Nigeria’s lag perpetuates a cycle of poverty, with 40% youth unemployment (NBS 2025).
The August 2025 protests, from Jos to Abuja, highlight growing desperation. ASUU’s Nsukka Zone Coordinator Raphael Amokaha urged, “Let good conscience prevail,” warning of blame on the government if strikes resume. Students, via groups like NANS, echo calls for dialogue, fearing another lost session. Senior Special Assistant Temitope Ajayi noted on X, “Every government has found the 2009 ASUU agreement unimplementable… something is actually wrong with the agreement.”
Yet, glimmers of hope emerge. The government’s seven-year moratorium on new universities (FEC August 2025) addresses proliferation, and a 23.5% salary hike (35% for professors) was approved in 2023. ASUU, however, insists on full 2009 compliance, rejecting loans as “traps.” Piwuna stressed, “Our members do not need loans. What we need is the implementation of agreements that will improve our purchasing power.”
The 2009 agreement, with its bold vision for funding and welfare, remains unfulfilled, driving ASUU’s 2025 standoff. Data shows strikes’ toll disrupted lives, poor rankings, economic drain demands urgent action. As Alausa forms a technical team for “actionable” clauses, involving the Justice Ministry for constitutionality, stakeholders must prioritise. Renegotiate transparently, allocate 26% budget share, pay EAAs fully, and empower monitoring committees.
Only then can Nigeria’s universities reclaim their promise, producing graduates for a competitive world. Without it, the “mother of all strikes” looms, but with it, a brighter educational dawn.
