ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof. Chris Piwuna, on Wednesday urged the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, to take the prevailing economic hardships confronting Nigerians to the Federal Executive Council.
Piwuna made the appeal while speaking at the unveiling of the 2025 agreement between the Federal Government and ASUU in Abuja, where he painted a grim picture of the country’s economic condition and called on the minister to communicate the plight of ordinary Nigerians to his cabinet colleagues.
“Honourable ministers, when you go to the next Federal Executive Council, please tell your colleagues that the economic situation in this country is still hard, that meals are hard to come by, that transportation is still a challenge, families are struggling to keep body and soul together,” Piwuna stated.
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Despite the economic concerns, the ASUU president acknowledged some improvement in the security situation, praising security agencies for their recent efforts.
“Tell those in charge of security that we have noticed that they are up now and doing.
Honourable minister, we want you to tell your colleagues in the security that we have noticed that they are up and doing and they are doing their best and we support them and we want them to do better,” he said.
In further remarks, Piwuna invited the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Dr Taiwo Oyedele, to attend ASUU’s next National Executive Council meeting in Abuja.
“You made a promise to us, honourable minister, to me, because you were speaking to me that day, and I want to take it up now, that through you, we are extending an invitation to the Chairman of the Federal Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Dr Taiwo Oyedele, to our next National Executive Council meeting, holding here in Abuja,” Piwuna said.
He explained that the union believed it had useful contributions to make towards strengthening the tax reform process.
“We believe we have a few ideas to share with him, how he can do his work better. We think he can support us, we can support him. We will ask him questions and we want to know what these reforms is all about,” he stated.
The 2025 agreement unveiled at the ceremony represents the conclusion of a renegotiation process that began in 2017 to review the 2009 Federal Government–ASUU agreement.
The breakthrough was achieved under the current administration, which set up the Yayale Ahmed-led renegotiation committee in October 2024.
The agreement centres on enhanced conditions of service, funding, university autonomy, academic freedom and wider reforms aimed at reversing decay in the sector, addressing brain drain and repositioning universities for national development.
At the same event, Piwuna raised concerns about alleged fund mismanagement and governance lapses in some universities, warning that weak governance frameworks were eroding accountability, stability and academic standards.
He also faulted promotion practices in some newly established federal universities of education, alleging that due process and established criteria for professorial appointments were being undermined.
The ASUU president urged vice-chancellors of the affected institutions to urgently review such promotions to safeguard the integrity of the university system.