Poor Welfare is Driving Young Nigerians Away from Lecturing Jobs, Says ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has stated that the unfavorable working conditions in public universities are discouraging qualified young academics from pursuing teaching careers within the university system.

In his New Year message, the chairman of the University of Ibadan (UI) chapter of the union, Prof. Ayo Akinwole, highlighted this issue.

He mentioned that this problem also extends to primary and secondary schools, where teachers are inadequately compensated, which discourages qualified individuals from accepting positions in these schools, allowing untrained and unqualified teachers to dominate the sector.

Akinwole pointed out that this has led to a rise in private schools, many of which are beyond the financial reach of the poor due to the high fees they charge.

He emphasized that the university sector experienced stagnation in 2024, adding that it would have been plunged into another industrial crisis if lecturers had not made significant sacrifices to prevent it.

The ASUU chairman expressed concern that Nigeria’s education system would likely remain unchanged, noting that the country’s education budget received only about seven percent (N3.52 trillion) of this year’s overall budget (N47.90 trillion).

He explained that this allocation falls significantly short of the recommended 15 to 20 percent educational budget for developing countries, as advocated by UNESCO and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA).

Akinwole commended the Federal Government for establishing a committee to renegotiate the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, but cautioned against delays, citing past administrations’ tactics.

He recounted that since 2017, various committees have been formed to renegotiate the agreement with ASUU, such as the Babalakin-led Joint Renegotiation Committee, the Emeritus Professor Munzali Jubril-led Committee, and the late Prof. Nimi Briggs-led Committee, which produced a draft agreement between ASUU and the committee in 2021.

However, Akinwole lamented that the Buhari administration refused to sign the agreement reached by the committee it had set up. He suggested that rather than initiating fresh negotiations, the Tinubu-led administration should focus on reviewing and signing the Nimi Briggs-led renegotiated draft agreement as a gesture of goodwill and a hopeful step for Nigeria’s public universities.