ASUU: IMF and World Bank Targeting Nigeria’s Public Universities for Destruction

• ASUU accuses World Bank and IMF of undermining Nigeria’s public universities, pledging to advocate for the institutions despite challenges
• The union criticizes the Nigerian government for withholding salaries and failing to fulfill the 2009 agreement, impacting public education

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of working against the future of Nigeria’s public universities, claiming the institutions aim to dismantle the public tertiary education system.

Despite the perceived pressures, ASUU president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, pledged to continue advocating for Nigeria’s public universities, asserting that the union would not relent in its efforts.

Prof. Osodeke’s remarks were delivered at ASUU’s “Heroes Day 2024-2025” ceremony at the University of Abuja, where the union honours members who have made significant sacrifices to improve public education.

At the event, Osodeke criticized the Nigerian federal government for withholding three and a half months’ worth of the union’s salaries and arrears, promotion payments, and long-overdue Earned Academic Allowances.

He argued that introducing the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) had exacerbated these issues despite the Federal Executive Council’s plans to remove the system from public universities.

Reflecting on the union’s long-standing struggle, Osodeke highlighted the unfulfilled promises in the government’s 2009 agreement with ASUU, including numerous Memoranda of Understanding and Memoranda of Action.

“It is lamentable that we are still struggling to renegotiate the 2009 agreement twelve years after it was due,” he remarked.

ASUU also awarded N500,000 PhD research grants to selected members. Osodeke praised the resilience of union members, especially those at Kogi State University, Lagos State University, Ebonyi State University, and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, who he claimed are enduring hardships as they continue to advocate for educational reform.