The Kano Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned of a looming industrial crisis in Nigerian universities over the federal government’s failure to fully implement the 2025 agreement signed with the union.

The zonal coordinator, Abdulkadir Muhammad, issued the warning during a news conference held at Bayero University, Kano, on Wednesday.

Mr Muhammad said the government’s delay in constituting the Implementation Monitoring Committee had led to uncoordinated execution of the agreement.

He explained that key components of the agreement, including salary adjustments and allowances, remained largely unimplemented.

He said they included the Consolidated Academic Staff Salary Structure, the Consolidated Academic Earned Allowance, and the Earned Academic Allowance.

He further said that several state governments had failed to comply with the terms of the agreement.

Mr Muhammad also expressed concern over unresolved welfare issues, including outstanding salary arrears, unpaid allowances, withheld salaries from the 2022 strike, and delayed pension payments to retired academics.

He urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene urgently.

He further criticised recent policy directives by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, including the proposed National Research and Innovation Development Fund.

Others include the reversal of the mother-tongue education policy and the planned establishment of foreign university campuses in Nigeria.

He described the policies as misguided and potentially harmful to the nation’s education system.

He reaffirmed ASUU’s commitment to university autonomy and warned that failure by the government to honour the agreement could disrupt the academic calendar.

Mr Muhammad urged Nigerians to hold the authorities accountable for the breakdown of industrial peace in the nation’s universities. 

(NAN)