The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has disputed the Federal Government’s claim that it released N50bn for university revitalisation, saying the funds have yet to reach institutions across the country.
In a statement on Wednesday, the union’s National President, Prof. Jurbe Molwus, said none of ASUU’s major demands had been met ahead of its National Executive Council meeting scheduled for November 8 and 9, 2025.
Molwus recalled that ASUU suspended its two-week warning strike in good faith after assurances from senior government officials that concrete proposals would be implemented, but lamented that the promises had not materialised.
He said: “As ASUU mobilises for its National Executive Council meeting scheduled to hold on the 8th and 9th of November, 2025, we expect that some of the outstanding entitlements such as withheld salaries, wage award arrears, and promotion arrears would have been paid by now. But all we get are press releases from the Minister of Education. What we need are credit alerts, not misleading statements.”
He further noted that the N50bn revitalisation fund the government claimed to have released weeks earlier had not been disbursed to any university, adding that the minister must explain the delay.
“It is sad to note that even the N50bn revitalisation fund the Federal Government claimed to have released is yet to reach the universities. We do not know why the Minister of Education is still keeping it,” he said.
Molwus also dismissed the minister’s claim that N2.3bn had been paid to clear salary and promotion arrears, describing it as “fictional and inadequate”.
“The big question is: can a meagre N2.3bn settle the backlog of promotion and salary arrears for all federal university workers? Absolutely not.
The amount is like a drop in the ocean and cannot even take care of three major universities,” he said.
ASUU warned that if the government failed to meet its demands by November 21, 2025, when the four-week ultimatum lapses, the union would resume its suspended strike.
“We hereby call on students, parents, and the public to prevail on the Federal Government to do the needful so that ASUU is not blamed if it resumes its suspended strike.
Our patience is running out,” Molwus warned.The union had earlier declared a two-week strike on October 12, citing government failure to address staff welfare, implement the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, and release withheld salaries.
