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Nigeria’s public universities are at a breaking point, weakened by poor infrastructure, underfunding, and brain drain. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), LASUSTECH Chapter, has warned that without urgent intervention, the system risks collapse in a world driven by knowledge and innovation.
At a press briefing in Ikorodu, the union said the federal government’s failure to honour the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement has left the universities vulnerable. The agreement covers critical areas such as fair pay for lecturers, proper funding for research, and protection of academic freedom.
The neglect, the union explained, has left campuses with dilapidated facilities and a demoralised workforce, forcing many academics to leave the country. The resulting decline in quality, it warned, undermines Nigeria’s competitiveness globally.
The LASUSTECH chapter stressed that universities are essential for producing leaders, fostering innovation, and solving social problems. “A nation that neglects its universities forsakes its growth and prosperity,” it said.
ASUU called for immediate implementation of past agreements, including several MoUs and MoAs, which successive governments have failed to carry out. It declared readiness to support the national body through dialogue, engagement, or industrial action.
The union appealed to students, parents, and the public to see the struggle as a collective responsibility to protect education. It pledged to continue pressing until the government fulfils its commitments.
