From Bamigbola Gbolagunte
The Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised the alarm over the alleged neglect of universities in the country by the government.
Members of the union who staged a peaceful protest in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, alleged that the federal government has neglected the nation’s universities, saying that the action of the government portends serious danger to the education system in the country.
The union also warned of an impending crisis in the university system over the government’s alleged inaction on long-standing issues affecting the sector, describing it as “wicked and heartless”.
The ASUU members who protested in Akure carried placards with various inscriptions, chanting solidarity songs.
Addressing journalists, the chairman of the branch, Prof. Pius Mogaji, said the government’s failure to address issues such as the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, sustainable funding of universities, and the plight of retired academic staff threatens the foundation of higher education in the country.
Mogaji said, “The report of the Alhaji Yayale Ahmed-led renegotiation, painstakingly concluded and submitted since February 2025, has been left to gather dust in the corridors of power for more than five months. The government has treated the document with reckless indifference, a clear betrayal of trust and an insult to the principle of collective bargaining.
“To ignore it is to undermine the very foundation of higher education in this country. While we take note of the government’s planned meeting of Thursday, August 28, 2025, let it be clear: the clock is ticking, and time is no longer on the government’s side.
“Our patience has been stretched to its breaking point. Trust has been shattered, and only decisive government action can mend it. The NEC has resolved that all options remain on the table. If the government chooses provocation over responsibility, if it continues to play games with the future of our universities, then the government alone must bear the consequences of the storm that will follow. The ball is squarely in the government’s court. Restore trust now—or brace for the inevitable,” he added.
The union also slammed the government’s “deceitful game” of delay and distraction, saying that it is a clear indication of its lack of commitment to resolving the issues.
“If the government insists on continuing this path of betrayal, then it alone must carry the curse of history. Any regime that starves its thinkers, enslaves its workers, and abandons its elders will be remembered only with scorn. Their names will rot in infamy, their legacies will stink of failure, and their actions will stand condemned as crimes against the nation,” Mogaji said.
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