Between Patience and Provocation: Why ASUU Could No Longer Wait

Comrade L.D. Wakawa

Once again, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has found itself compelled to embark on another round of industrial action, a development many would consider avoidable. Over the past two years, the Union has demonstrated remarkable restraint and understanding towards the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Throughout this period, ASUU’s national leadership consistently appealed to its members to exercise patience, hoping that the Government would honour its commitments and that ongoing negotiations would produce meaningful outcomes. Indeed, a referendum conducted by the Union revealed that a majority of members favoured immediate strike action. However, in the interest of dialogue and national stability, the leadership chose to stay the course of patience and engagement.
Regrettably, the government’s attitude has remained reactive rather than proactive. It only appears responsive when faced with the threat of industrial action, only to revert to indifference once such threats are suspended. This pattern has persisted since the beginning of President Tinubu administration.
The most recent episode followed the Union’s two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government. In the final days before the deadline, the government made a few symbolic gestures which, unfortunately, were too little and too late. Across the nation, ASUU members have grown increasingly frustrated with what they perceive as deliberate and systematic delay tactics. Consequently, the Union had little choice but to proceed with a warning strike.
Rather than addressing the underlying issues with sincerity and foresight, the government responded by invoking the “no work, no pay” policy on the very day the warning strike commenced. This decision appeared to stem more from bruised egos than from sound judgment, particularly after the minister of education Dr. Tunde Alausa had publicly assured Nigerians that ASUU would not embark on another strike. Such misplaced confidence has led many to speculate about the existence of an informal understanding between certain government figures and some ASUU principal officers (POs), aimed at discouraging industrial action.
It is worth noting that threats and intimidation have never succeeded in silencing intellectuals. Successive governments in Nigeria have attempted such approaches in the past, none have worked. The last ASUU strike, for instance, was suspended not because the Union’s demands were met, nor because lecturers were worn down by economic hardship but we were compelled by a court order to return to the classrooms.
At present, the government appears to have activated a coordinated misinformation campaign, aimed at portraying ASUU in a negative light and misleading the public about the true causes of the ongoing dispute. This strategy seeks to turn parents, students, and the wider public against the Union, thereby undermining its legitimate struggle.
ASUU’s position, however, remains consistent: its struggle is not for personal benefit but for the survival, revitalisation, and global competitiveness of Nigeria’s public universities. The Union’s demands including the implementation of the renegotiated 2009 Agreement, release of withheld salaries, and adequate funding for the university system are central to the future of tertiary education in the country.
Unless the Federal Government begins to engage with these issues sincerely and constructively, the cycle of threats, strikes, and half-hearted negotiations is likely to continue to the detriment of Nigeria’s educational system and the nation’s intellectual future.

Comrade L.D. Wakawa (PhD)
Federal University, Gashua