FG’s N50bn: Why ASUU Remains Skeptical About Announced Funds

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has insisted that it will not trust the federal government’s claim of releasing N50 billion to cover earned allowances for academic and non-academic staff in federal universities until members receive bank alerts confirming the payments.

The national president of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, revealed this during an exclusive interview with Nigerian Tribune over the weekend.

It should be remembered that the Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, made a viral public announcement last week, stating that the government had released N50 billion to settle outstanding earned allowances for federal university workers across the country.

However, when asked for his reaction, the ASUU president said the union, drawing from previous experiences, has learned never to believe the Nigerian government based on newspaper reports until they have solid proof regarding any given matter.

In his words, “We heard the information through the media just like every other Nigerian, as there is no official communication yet to us on the matter.”

He continued, “Though we had a verbal communication with the Minister of Education a few days ago on the matter, it is not enough conviction to us.”

Giving reasons for their lack of trust, he said, “It is a common practice for successive governments in Nigeria to make promises and not fulfill them.”

He further expressed dismay that the federal government would celebrate the release of funds for earned allowances as though it were the most pressing issue to be tackled.

He explained that earned allowances constitute just one of several matters, and even then, the N50 billion would only clear two years out of the eight years’ debt.

He added that ASUU had long urged successive governments to first finalize the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, which includes a new salary structure and allowances for all university workers and an injection of revitalization funds, among other demands, before discussing any possible concessions from ASUU regarding allowance arrears.

“So, ASUU has made it known the government to pay two years while we may decide to forgo the rest of the six years, but the government has not done anything in that regard to date,” Osodeke emphasized.

Mentioning various renegotiation committees previously set up by the federal government on the same matters, he listed the ones led by Dr. Wale Babalakin, Professor Nimi Briggs, and, most recently, Dr. Yayale Ahmed.

He said each of these committees’ efforts ended without any tangible result, especially for ASUU.

He explained that during negotiations, government representatives often tell ASUU they would “report back to their principals and then come back with a government offer to form the basis of a fresh agreement for signatory.”

“But that is usually the end of such effort for each committee, as they won’t come back till another one is constituted for a round of fresh discussion,” he said, adding, “That has been the tactics of government over the years.”

He noted that the most recent committee, chaired by Dr. Yayale Ahmed, concluded talks with ASUU in November 2024, but five months later, there has been no result from those efforts.