ASUU Rejects Government’s 35% Salary Offer for Lecturers

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has rejected the Federal Government’s proposed 35 percent salary increase for lecturers in public universities, deepening the ongoing dispute between both parties.

The decision was reached during the union’s National Executive Council meeting held in Abuja, where delegates from its 89 branches unanimously voted against the government’s offer. The union described the proposal as inadequate and inconsistent with the realities faced by academics across Nigerian universities.

ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, confirmed that none of the union’s chapters accepted the pay offer. He stated that the union still stands by the salary structure earlier presented by the renegotiation committee led by Prof. Nimi Briggs, which it believes reflects fair compensation for lecturers’ work and contribution to national development.

The Nimi Briggs-led committee had, in 2022, recommended a new salary scale that would raise professors’ monthly pay to about N1.2 million. However, the government later abandoned the recommendation, leaving professors earning less than N500,000 monthly.

While the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) suggested a revised pay of N800,000 per month — a 50 percent raise — ASUU insists that even this proposal falls short of the standard needed to address current economic conditions and restore dignity to the teaching profession.

The union’s rejection of the 35 percent increment has renewed fears of another deadlock in the long-running negotiations between ASUU and the government. The disagreement centers not only on salaries but also on funding for university infrastructure, research support, and overall working conditions.

ASUU maintains that it will not compromise on its earlier agreement, stressing that the current offer fails to address years of neglect and underpayment in the education sector. The union’s decision leaves uncertainty over how soon the wage dispute will be resolved and raises concern about possible industrial action if the government fails to reconsider its proposal.