ASUU Opens up to Senate on Its Major Demands, Cries out on Wike's Attempt to Encroach on Land Allocated to UNIABUJA
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has in a closed-door meeting today - Friday, October 17, 2025, at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, led by its National President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, opened up on its major demands amid the ongoing two week warning strike which is now in its fifth day, to Nigerian concerned key Senate committees, including those on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, and Labour.
According to a report sourced partly from NTA News, ASUU during the meeting, emphasized that Nigerian universities require sustainable and increased funding to support scholarly research, upgrade decaying infrastructure to wit: hostels, lecture halls, labs et al., and improve remuneration for academic staff.
Prof. Piwuna highlighted that Nigerian lecturers' salaries are among the lowest in Africa, making it difficult to attract or retain talent, and that unresolved issues from the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government Agreement including revitalization funds, continue to fuel crises dating back to 2011.
The major flashpoint, another report says, is the alleged attempt by FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike to revoke or encroach on portions of the 10,000-hectare land allocated to the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) for academic, agricultural, and expansion purposes. ASUU's UNIABUJA branch has protested the issue, noting that despite repeated appeals, the FCT Administration persists, potentially stifling the university's growth. "We are worried because UNIABUJA is in the FCT. Anyone serious about higher education should focus on developing it not taking its land," Prof. Piwuna lamented.
Reacting to this, the Senate committee agreed to directly interface with Wike to halt any tampering and ensure the land remains intact for university use. Meanwhile, Sen. Ireti Kingibe - FCT Senator, had earlier raised alarms in September, about Wike revoking 7,000 out of 11,000 hectares, violating the Land Use Act.
During the meeting, ASUU also objected to the Ministry of Education's alleged plan to share with polytechnics and colleges of education, the first N50 billion tranche from the N150 billion allocation by President Tinubu in the 2025 budget for university revitalization which is to be disbursed in three N50 billion tranches. They argued that it dilutes funds meant exclusively for universities, noting that separate allocations exist for polytechnics & colleges of education. Sen. Dandutse addressing this particular issue, described the situation as unacceptable, and pledged to summon the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) for a follow-up meeting on Tuesday or Wednesday, October 21-22, 2025.
Recall that Education Minister Alausa, on October 13, 2025, claimed the government has met every single request including releasing N50 billion for earned academic allowances and budgeting N683 billion for infrastructure across tertiary institutions. And accused ASUU of delaying progress by insisting on exclusive access to funds.
ASUU further commended President Bola Tinubu for the N150 billion allocation and his directive for a seven-year moratorium on new public tertiary institutions to focus resources on existing ones. However, ASUU stressed that implementation delays and dilutions undermine these positives.
The Senate, through Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Sen. Muntari Dandutse (APC, Katsina South), confirmed the discussions and outlined immediate steps for resolution. The Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Barau I. Jibrin, also separately met with ASUU leaders on this same day to reinforce calls for dialogue.
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