After wrapping up its nationwide protests on Tuesday, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is preparing to hold congresses to determine its next steps.
Earlier in the year, the Tinubu administration released ₦50 billion to clear earned academic allowances owed to lecturers and university staff.
Today’s meeting is expected to include the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa; the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi; and officials from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission. The session aims to produce a timetable for signing and gradually implementing the renegotiated agreement alongside related reports.
According to government insiders in the Education and Labour ministries, discussions will center on harmonizing the Yayale Ahmed committee draft completed in December 2024 with the original 2009 agreement and subsequent recommendations, such as the Nimi Briggs report. Another key focus will be determining how to spread the financial obligations across the national budget while creating a legally binding framework.
Speaking on Wednesday, ASUU president, Prof. Chris Piwuna, stressed that the union expects genuine commitment from the government.
He said …
“I truly hope they will come up with something tangible. Our members are tired of words and no action.”
Piwuna, however, made it clear that ASUU was not invited to participate in today’s meeting.
He emphasized that the union had concluded its nationwide protests and was now set to convene congresses to determine its next course of action.
“We don’t have any meeting with the Federal Government tomorrow (today). It’s their meeting, we’re not involved. We have not received any invitation yet for a meeting with the Federal Government.
“However, we’ll let Nigerians know our next line of action after the protests. We operate from the bottom up. The protests are over, so we’ll go back to our members and ask them what is next, and we’ll do exactly what they want us to do as elected representatives,” he added.
Today’s meeting is taking place against the backdrop of persistent complaints by ASUU members over poor remuneration and the declining state of academia. Reports indicate that professors, who earn around ₦500,000 monthly, are forced to reside in officers’ quarters and sometimes struggle to board buses meant for students.
According to documents obtained by The PUNCH, the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure shows that Graduate Assistants receive between ₦125,000 and ₦138,020 monthly, while professors earn between ₦525,010 and ₦633,333.
Assistant Lecturers earn between ₦150,000 and ₦171,487; Lecturer II between ₦186,543 and ₦209,693; Lecturer I between ₦239,292 and ₦281,956; Senior Lecturers between ₦386,101 and ₦480,780; and Readers between ₦436,392 and ₦522,212.
Chairman of Heirs Holdings and founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Tony O. Elumelu, has revealed how an early opportunity in his career changed his life and laid the foundation for his later achievements in business and philanthropy.
Elumelu recalled that at just 27, he was appointed branch manager of the now defunct AllStates Trust Bank, a responsibility that was unusual for someone so young at the time.
According to him, the experience became a turning point.
The business mogul explained that the Nigerian banking sector of the 1990s was entering a period of transformation, and being trusted with such leadership at an early stage fueled his drive to empower the next generation.
He stressed that his dedication to youth empowerment through the Tony Elumelu Foundation was born out of that personal journey, noting that just as someone once invested in him, he is now committed to investing in young Africans.
“When I was 27, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime: I became a branch manager at AllStates Trust Bank, a young bank in Nigeria,” Elumelu wrote.
“Banking was beginning to change the country, it was the sector to be in, ripe for transformation, ready for disruption, for democratisation.
“At that time, few believed a 27-year-old could successfully lead a bank branch. But that opportunity changed the entire course of my life.
“It gave me confidence. It gave me a platform. Most importantly, it gave me perspective.
“That’s why today, I am passionate about giving young people the same chance I was given. Because I know what’s possible when someone believes in you early.
“This belief is at the heart of everything we do at The Tony Elumelu Foundation. It’s why we invest in young African entrepreneurs – because someone once invested in me.
“My journey didn’t begin with capital. It began with trust,” he added.
Elumelu urged continued belief in Africa’s youth, insisting they are “ready to lead, grow, and transform our continent.”
“Let’s keep believing in Africa’s youth. They are ready to lead, grow and transform our continent,” he said.
The South-South Reawakening Group (SSRG), a socio-political organization in the Niger Delta, has urged former President Goodluck Jonathan to be cautious of the various groups urging him to contest the 2027 presidential election.
The group led by Dr. Joseph Ambakaderimo said any attempt for the former President to yield to such call would lead to his political demise, saying that the people behind the call do not mean well for him and Nigeria as a whole.
Ambakaderimo in a telephone conversation in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, said about six different associations in the Niger Delta region met recently to look into the import of the calls by some northerners to drag Jonathan into the political fray and came to the conclusion that “those behind the scheme were Nigeria’s enemies”.
Acording to him, “go back to history, you will see that these are the same people who hated Jonathan with passion when he served as president. They said he was weak; he was incapable of securing Nigeria from Boko Haram terrorists. So, what has suddenly changed now?
“The Jonathan narrative in this enterprise of drafting him to run in the 2027 elections hasn’t been made clear to us by Jonathan himself. Therefore, l wouldn’t want to say much until he, Jonathan, speaks by declaring his intentions.
“However my understanding at this time and the question to ask is how come the sudden 360 degree likeness and love from persons who worked against Jonathan and previously called him all the unprintable names have now become the ones urging him to come out of his political hibernation?.
“My understanding is that there is a grand plan to scatter the southern votes by way of drafting in as many candidates as possible from the south to scramble for the southern votes while leaving the northern votes intact for the supposedly single dominant candidate.
“If this is the strategy of Jonathan’s new found friends, we may likely see a scenario where that Northern candidate might win with not more than three million votes, which will lead to a possible runoff in 2027. This strategy is just to weaken the incumbent, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and take power back to the North through the back door.
“So far, we are watching this game with rapt attention to see the destination where it will anchor”, Ambakaderimo said.
Recall that a pro-Jonathan group, Bring Back Our Goodluck, last weekend in Kano had called on Jonathan to contest the 2027 presidential election, declaring that Nigerians were “misled in 2015” into voting out his administration.
The Naira weakened further on Tuesday, August 26, closing at N1,550 per dollar in the parallel market, compared to N1,540 per dollar on Monday.
In the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM), the local currency also weakened slightly to N1,537 per dollar, compared to N1,536.99 per dollar the previous day, according to data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
This depreciation widened the gap between the official and parallel market rates to N13 per dollar, a sharp increase from N3.01 recorded on Monday.
The currency’s drop reflects sustained pressure from high demand for foreign exchange amid limited dollar supply, a challenge that has persisted despite ongoing CBN interventions and recent policy reforms aimed at stabilizing the market.
Analysts warn that without a significant boost in forex inflows and improved investor confidence, the Naira could face further volatility in the coming weeks.
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