Umar Abdullahi 
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised alarm over what it describes as the “frustration and neglect” of its members by the Federal Government, which has resulted in the mass exodus of over 309 professors from Nigeria’s public universities within the last nine months.
ASUU’s Zonal Chairman for Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, and Katsina States, Professor Abubakar Sabo, disclosed this at a town hall meeting organized by the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) branch of the union at the institution’s City Campus.
According to Sabo, the continuous departure of senior academics in search of better working conditions abroad represents a growing “intellectual hemorrhage” that threatens the survival of public universities. He revealed that many of the departed scholars have relocated to the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Cameroon, and other countries.
“From the last action we had until now, we lost about 309 professors, some to private universities in Nigeria, others to the UK, Saudi Arabia, Cameroon, and beyond. Our intellectual capital is being drained because the conditions of service no longer make it possible for many to stay and teach,” he lamented.
Sabo warned that the union may embark on a two-week warning strike beginning October 13, 2025, if the Federal Government continues to ignore its demands on funding, earned allowances, and improved working conditions.
“We have been patient long enough. Our duty is to salvage public universities. If the government continues to ignore us, we will not fold our arms while the system collapses,” he declared.
The ASUU leader further accused the Federal Government of frustrating ongoing negotiations, noting that despite the submission of the Yayale Ahmed Committee report in January 2025, no meaningful action has been taken.
“When we gave a two-week ultimatum, the government only began making calls, then invited other tertiary unions like those of polytechnics and colleges of education to complicate the process. That’s a ploy to overstretch the education budget and frustrate our struggle,” he alleged.
Earlier, the Chairperson of ASUU-UDUS, Prof. Muhammad Almustapha, said the town hall meeting was convened to alert Nigerians to the deepening decay in the university system and the government’s failure to fulfill its promises.
“Over the years, ASUU has, unfortunately, become synonymous with strikes because the government hardly honors its commitments. It has become a cycle of broken promises and dashed hopes,” he added.
The union called for urgent government intervention to halt the brain drain and prevent the total collapse of Nigeria’s public university system.
