The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has painted a grim picture of Nigeria’s education sector, warning that poor working conditions and federal neglect are discouraging young Nigerians from pursuing careers in lecturing.
Speaking through its University of Ibadan (UI) Chairman, Professor Ayo Akinwole, ASUU raised alarms over the state of public universities. In a New Year message issued to journalists in Ibadan, Akinwole highlighted that the government’s inability to address welfare concerns has left many young Nigerians unwilling to join academia.
“The teaching profession is no longer attractive because lecturers and teachers are poorly paid,” Akinwole declared. He argued that the situation extends to primary and secondary schools, where underpaid educators are being replaced by unqualified teachers, leading to a proliferation of private schools that charge fees beyond the reach of the average Nigerian.
Budgetary Neglect and Unfulfilled Agreements
Akinwole criticized the federal government for allocating only 7% of the 2025 budget to education—a mere ₦3.52 trillion out of a total ₦47.9 trillion. This figure falls significantly short of the 15-20% benchmark recommended by UNESCO and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) for underdeveloped nations.
“The education budget reflects a lack of priority for the sector,” Akinwole noted. “This underfunding perpetuates stagnation in the university system and leaves lecturers struggling to perform their duties under dire conditions.”
ASUU also expressed frustration over the government’s delayed renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement. While President Tinubu’s administration recently formed a new committee for renegotiation, Akinwole cautioned against repeating the mistakes of previous governments.
“Since 2017, committees have been formed without results,” he said, referencing efforts led by figures such as Dr. Wale Babalakin, Professor Munzali Jubril, and the late Professor Nimi Briggs. “Instead of fresh renegotiations, the Tinubu administration should implement the draft agreement already reached with the Briggs-led committee in 2021.”
Threat to TETFund: A Looming Crisis
Akinwole also criticized the proposed elimination of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) under the new tax administration bill, which seeks to replace the education tax with a development levy.
“This policy is a direct attack on the survival of public tertiary institutions,” he warned. “Since its creation in 2011, TETFund has been a lifeline for infrastructure development in Nigerian universities. Now, the fund faces extinction by 2030 under the new legislation.”
Under the proposed bill, only 50% of the levy’s revenue would go to TETFund in 2025 and 2026. This percentage would rise incrementally until 2029, after which all funds would be redirected to the federal government’s student loan scheme.
“This approach commodifies university education and threatens to erode the little progress made in addressing infrastructural deficits,” Akinwole said.
A Bleak Outlook for Lecturers
ASUU emphasized that poor welfare conditions have made the teaching profession untenable for many. “Academics are constantly battling low motivation, high inflation, and a government that seems indifferent to their plight,” Akinwole stated.
He added that many qualified Nigerians now view lecturing as a “dead-end job,” leading to a brain drain as educators seek better opportunities abroad.
