Nigeria: ASUU calls for salary review, declares “our welfare is our fundamental right”
By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria
At the 2025 ASUU Day celebration held at the Governor Peter Mbah Auditorium on the main campus of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) in Agbani, the Academic Staff Union of Universities reaffirmed its commitment to nation‑building through teaching, research and community service.
The Acting Chairperson of the ESUT branch, Comrade Andrew Apeh, urged members to remain steadfast in the pursuit of excellence and to defend their welfare. “As academic staff, we must continue to strive for excellence, inspiring our students and contributing to the growth of our nation,” he said.
Apeh highlighted that ESUT lecturers earn far less than colleagues in other state and federal universities. He called for the implementation of the 25 % and 35 % wage‑award increments and for salaries to be aligned with national benchmarks.
The union demanded the payment and mainstreaming of the long‑outstanding EAA, which has been pending since 2008.
Our welfare is our fundamental right, and it must be addressed without politicisation,” Apeh declared, quoting Nelson Mandela: “The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.”
Comrade Zubairu Abdulmumini Loko, Chairperson of ASUU at Nasarawa State University, Keffi, echoed the call for better conditions. He described Nigerian academics as “teaching like philosophers but being paid like apprentices,” and stressed that empowerment requires salaries that last the month, research grants that fund real work, adequate infrastructure, and university autonomy free from political interference.
He also reminded members that wellness is a strategic necessity: “You cannot lead a revolution with blood pressure higher than school fees.
National Resource Person Comrade Ofukwu Raphael Agbo criticised university professors for remaining passive in the face of injustice, categorising them into three groups and warning that ASUU is the “last moral firewall” protecting Nigerian universities from collapse.
The celebration featured medical check‑ups, health talks, panel discussions and interactive sessions. Notable moments included.
A breakdown presented at the event showed that 27 ESUT members are still awaiting retirement benefits of ₦400,000 each, and 16 families of deceased members are owed death benefits of the same amount.
Speakers urged ESUT academics to stay united, mentor younger colleagues, strengthen union structures, protect their wellbeing and speak out against injustice. “If the system refuses to hear us, we shall speak louder,” Apeh concluded.
The union’s demands underscore a broader call across Nigerian higher education for fair compensation and timely allowances.
