Group Hails ASUU Victory, Warns Government Against Agreement Betrayal
Otamere Gladness 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) praises the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for what it describes as a hard-won victory over years of underfunding, as it warns the Federal Government against repeating a history of abandoned agreements in Nigeria’s public universities.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) says the newly reached agreement between ASUU, and the government is the direct outcome of “years of resolute resistance” against policies that have steadily eroded public tertiary education.
The group commends Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for forcing concessions that include a 40 per cent increase in salaries under the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS), the conversion of the Earned Emolument Allowance into a permanent monthly payment, and the introduction of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance to support teaching and research.
“This agreement is not a gift,” ERC Deputy National Coordinator Ogunjimi Isaac says. “It is a product of sustained struggle against persistent attacks on public education.”
However, the ERC cautions that the gains remain fragile. It argues that decades of infrastructural decay, staff shortages and declining research capacity cannot be reversed without full implementation and a mandatory renegotiation after three years.
The group points to previous failures, including delayed releases from the 2013 Needs Assessment Fund, as evidence that signed agreements are routinely ignored. It notes that January’s partial rollout — limited to CATA payments while excluding salary increases and EEA — already triggers fresh disputes, with reports of delayed or reduced payments across federal universities.
ERC urges ASUU members to remain vigilant, calls for funding far beyond the government’s pledged ₦30 billion for infrastructure, and demands democratic governance involving elected staff and students.
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Chukwu Obinna 
Oluwafunbi Bello 
Oluwatobi Adu 