Francis Ogbaugu 
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Benin Zone, on Tuesday warned that it may resume its suspended one-month warning strike as the expiration of the window period draws closer.
Speaking on behalf of the zone, Prof. Monday Igbafen said the union was frustrated by the Federal Government’s “back-and-forth” approach to negotiations.
He described it as “sheer wickedness” that university lecturers have remained on the same salary structure for over 15 years, despite rising inflation and economic realities.
“We are saying enough is enough. This half-hearted approach to negotiation must stop. Talking with ASUU without results must stop,” he said.
According to him, the government’s failure to conclude renegotiations has left lecturers earning salaries based on the 2009 structure, when the naira exchanged for N120 to the dollar.
“It is sad that a professor in Nigeria earns less than $400 per month today. This is a scandalous under-valuation of Nigerian scholars,” he added, warning that continued neglect fuels brain drain and industrial disharmony.
Igbafen accused the Minister of Education of insincerity, saying government officials were undermining the negotiation process through misrepresentation of issues such as promotion arrears and third-party deductions.
“Their dishonesty has led to the government feeding the public with half-truths, and this strategy portends inevitable crisis,” he said.
He argued that the problem was political will, not lack of funds, citing increased revenue allocations. He noted that states received N3.92 trillion from FAAC in 2022 and N5.81 trillion in 2024, a 62% jump, while federal revenue rose from N3.42 trillion in 2022 to N4.65 trillion in 2024, over 70% growth.
“As a union, we believe it is lack of political will that is undermining this process. Government must resolve these issues once and for all,” he stated.
He concluded that the Benin Zone is fully prepared to comply with any directive from ASUU’s National Executive Council to resume the suspended strike once the one-month window elapses.
