ASUU alleges plot by World Bank, IMF to sabotage Nigeria’s public universities

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised concerns over a plot to sabotage Nigeria’s public universities, with National President Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke accusing the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) of working to destroy the country’s public education system.

At the 2024 ASUU Heroes Day event in Abuja on Tuesday, Osodeke expressed frustration over the delayed renegotiation of the 2009 agreement between ASUU and the Federal Government, stating, “Comrades, like in the past, this year’s celebration of our heroes also takes place as we continue the struggle to rescue Nigeria’s public universities from the suffocating clutches of the World Bank and the IMF, whose determination to destroy and bury our public university system has not abated.

“It is rather lamentable that we are still struggling to compel the renegotiation of our 2009 Agreement with the federal government, twelve years after it should have been concluded, and after four rounds of failed negotiations.”

He also criticized the continued enforcement of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System in public universities, despite the Federal Executive Council’s plans to remove it.

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Osodeke noted that the situation is further complicated by the Federal Government’s withholding of the union’s three and a half months’ salaries, arrears of wages, promotions, and Earned Academic Allowance.

ASUU has long argued that the government’s failure to fund public education adequately is to blame for the sector’s decline. Osodeke emphasized, “Education is criminally neglected in Nigeria because many public officers have since lost faith in the sector and allowed a stubborn unwillingness to revamp it entrench itself in them.”

The union’s concerns highlight the ongoing challenges facing Nigeria’s public universities. ASUU’s demands for improved working conditions and better funding have been met with resistance from the government, leading to frequent strikes.

ASUU’s struggle is seen as crucial to the revival of Nigeria’s public universities. Osodeke’s words echo the sentiments of many Nigerians, who believe that the government must prioritize education to ensure the country’s progress and development.

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