The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof. Chris Piwuna, on Wednesday appealed to the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, to convey the harsh economic realities facing Nigerians to the Federal Executive Council.
Speaking at the unveiling of the 2025 agreement between the Federal Government and ASUU in Abuja on Wednesday, Piwuna expressed the picture of the nation’s economic situation, urging the minister to relay the struggles of ordinary citizens to his cabinet colleagues.
“Honourable ministers, when you go to the next Federal Executive Council, please tell your colleagues that the economic situation in this country is still hard, that meals are hard to come by, that transportation is still a challenge, families are struggling to keep body and soul together,” Piwuna stated.
However, Piwuna acknowledged improvements in the nation’s security situation, commending security agencies for their recent efforts.
“Tell those in charge of security that we have noticed that they are up now and doing. Honourable minister, we want you to tell your colleagues in the security that we have noticed that they are up and doing and they are doing their best and we support them and we want them to do better,” he said.
Commenting further, Piwuna extended an invitation to Dr Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, to attend ASUU’s next National Executive Council meeting in Abuja.
“You made a promise to us, honourable minister, to me, because you were speaking to me that day, and I want to take it up now, that through you, we are extending an invitation to the Chairman of the Federal Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Dr Taiwo Oyedele, to our next National Executive Council meeting, holding here in Abuja,” Piwuna said.
The ASUU president explained that the union believes it has valuable ideas to share with Oyedele on improving the tax reform process.
“We believe we have a few ideas to share with him, how he can do his work better. We think he can support us, we can support him. We will ask him questions and we want to know what these reforms is all about,” he stated.
The 2025 agreement unveiled at Wednesday’s ceremony marks the culmination of a renegotiation process that began in 2017 to review the 2009 Federal Government-ASUU pact. The breakthrough came under the current administration, which inaugurated the Yayale Ahmed-led renegotiation committee in October 2024.
The agreement focuses on improved conditions of service, funding, university autonomy, academic freedom, and broader reforms aimed at reversing sectoral decay, curbing brain drain, and repositioning universities for national development.
PUNCH Online reports that at the same event, Piwuna raised concerns over alleged mismanagement of funds and governance weaknesses in some universities, warning that weak governance structures were undermining accountability, stability, and academic standards.
He also criticised promotion practices in some newly-established federal universities of education, alleging that due process and established standards for professorial appointments were being compromised.
The ASUU president called on vice-chancellors of affected institutions to urgently review such promotions to protect the integrity of the university system.
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