Poor Welfare Driving Young minds Away from Lecturing – ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has decried the deteriorating welfare conditions for public university lecturers, warning that it is discouraging qualified individuals from pursuing careers in the university system.

In a New Year message, Professor Ayo Akinwole, Chairman of ASUU’s University of Ibadan chapter, highlighted the broader impact of inadequate teacher remuneration across all levels of education.

“Poor pay for public primary and secondary school teachers has opened the door for untrained and unqualified individuals to take up teaching roles, while private schools, often unaffordable to the poor, are proliferating,” Akinwole stated.

He lamented the stagnation in the university system throughout 2024, crediting lecturers’ sacrifices for preventing another industrial crisis despite the government’s perceived indifference to their plight.

Akinwole criticized the allocation of only 7% of the 2025 budget (N3.52 trillion out of N47.90 trillion) to education, falling short of the 15%-20% benchmark recommended by UNESCO and UNFPA.

While acknowledging the government’s move to renegotiate the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, Akinwole warned against further delays, citing past unfulfilled commitments. He urged President Tinubu’s administration to adopt the Nimi Briggs-led renegotiated agreement from 2021 to restore confidence in Nigeria’s public universities.

The ASUU leader also expressed concern over President Tinubu’s proposed elimination of TETFund under the tax administration bill, describing it as a direct threat to tertiary education infrastructure.

“This policy will undermine the primary source of funding for infrastructure development in public tertiary institutions. Replacing the education tax with a ‘development levy’ would cripple TETFund’s operations and jeopardize the future of university education in Nigeria,” Akinwole warned.

ASUU called on the federal government to prioritize education reform to address systemic challenges and attract young Nigerians to the lecturing profession.