The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Chris Piwuna, has described the recently concluded agreement between the union and the Federal Government as a significant milestone for both parties.
Speaking on Wednesday, the 14th of January, 2026, during an interview on Arise Television, Prof. Piwuna stated that the Federal Government has demonstrated seriousness in implementing the pact, noting that the agreement officially commenced on January 1 this year.
According to him, reaching this stage has taken an unusually long time, pointing out that it has been about 16 years since such progress was made.
He acknowledged that the long history of unmet commitments by past administrations has created some caution within the union, but emphasized that the present development marks a major breakthrough.
“We have not been at this point for a very long time, 16 years. And so it may be, it will even appear new to us and to assess how sincere government would be considering the failures of previous governments and ministers to get us to this point.
“But that we have arrived at this point, we’ve signed an agreement, the government have agreed to it, it’s a great achievement for both sides- for the government and for our union and all those who have contributed to ensuring that we get to this point.
“The government has shown commitment. I’m sure you saw the minister brandishing the circular from salaries and wages, stating that from 1st of January this year, this agreement will come into force.”
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Despite the progress, the ASUU president noted that some unresolved issues remain and expressed hope that they would not lead to fresh disagreements. He highlighted the dismissal of five ASUU members at Lagos State University, stressing that the union has formally listed the matter among its pending demands.
“There are a few things that are still outstanding. We hope that it will not get to any situation that will disagree. Our members at the Lagos State University, about five of them have still been dismissed. We have included it as part of our demands to ensure that that matter is resolved.
“We have about 108 members that have been dismissed from the Kogi State University by the previous administration of Kogi State. We still have our members being victimised at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, FUTO. So, these are the issues,” he said.