The Benin Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities has rejected the proposed salary increase by the Federal Government, describing it as a mere “drop in the ocean” particularly has lecturers have not had any major salary review in 15 years.
The Zonal Coordinator, Prof Monday Igbafen, stated that the proposal hindered the desired reversal of the brain drain currently affecting Nigeria’s university system.
He criticised the Federal Government for demonstrating “a blatant unwillingness to quickly and holistically resolve all the outstanding issues,” urging the government to conclude renegotiations of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement and address other pending concerns.
The union had earlier embarked on a two-week warning strike to press the Federal Government to meet its long-standing demands.
The union’s key issues include the full implementation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, payment of outstanding promotion arrears dating back to 2017, release of third-party deductions, and the disbursement of the N50bn revitalisation fund reportedly allocated to universities.
The strike was suspended temporarily after assurances from senior government officials that concrete proposals would be presented.
Rejecting the proposed salary increase for lecturers, Prof Igbafen said, “The salary and conditions of service components remain a sore point that needs a radical approach to stem the impending crisis in the system.
“We have rejected the proposed salary increase by the government because it is a mere drop in the ocean that is incapable of achieving the desired reversal of the brain drain syndrome currently bedevilling university education in the country.
“We are saying enough is enough to the back-and-forth approach of the Federal Government to the negotiation. This half-hearted approach must stop now. Talking with ASUU without results must stop.”
Prof Igbafen highlighted that university salaries in Nigeria have remained largely unchanged since 2009, when the exchange rate was N120 to a dollar.
“It is sad to note that what a professor earns in today’s Nigeria is less than $400 per month, which is a scandalous under-valuation of Nigerian scholars.
“To continue to remain on the same salary regime for more than 15 years without a meaningful review is not only wicked and inhuman but also a catalyst for resistance, industrial disharmony and brain drain,” he added.
He accused government functionaries, including the minister of education, of undermining the negotiation process through “subtle misrepresentations of issues and agreements, including the so-called government offers and their implementation, especially as they relate to the part-payment of promotion arrears dating as far back as 2017, and the release of third-party deductions, which are part of our members’ unpaid benefits for years.”
He added, “They have wickedly portrayed these as core or substantial issues, while at best, they are mere confidence-boosting exercises which should not be framed as the substantial issues of the negotiation process
The result of this dishonesty is that the Federal Government has been dishing half-truths to the public on the negotiation, and this strategy portends an inevitable crisis.”
Prof Igbafen urged the government to resolve the issues within the remaining one-month window to avert a looming paralysis.
“Our government should accept the immutable reality that nothing is too much to invest in the education of its citizenry because it is the bedrock of any society that desires development.
“The sing-song by the government about the paucity of funds or the global economic downturn as an excuse to deny the education sector adequate funding is no longer tenable considering the prevailing economic reality,” he said.
The zonal coordinator highlighted Nigeria’s improved revenue profile, noting that federal and state revenues had grown significantly in recent years.
“The figure for 2024 was N5.81tn, showing a staggering increase of over 62 per cent.
“Similarly, our union is aware that the Federal Government received N4.65tn in 2024, representing a humongous increase of over 70 per cent,” Prof Igbafen added.
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