Nigeria faces ongoing crisis in tertiary education sector

The crisis within Nigeria’s tertiary education sector is characterized as a political issue rather than a purely educational one. Long-standing challenges in federal and state universities stem from a governance culture that has historically failed to honor agreements and Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed with academic staff.

Since the 1970s and 1980s, the state has faced criticism for underfunding public education, non-payment of salaries, and refusing to honor established agreements. These actions are viewed by some as a deliberate strategy to maintain control through the ignorance of the citizenry.

A central point of contention is the ASUU-FGN Agreement. Following the 2009 agreement between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), multiple attempts have been made to renegotiate terms. While a committee was constituted in March 2017 to address the 2009 agreement, subsequent efforts led by various committees have faced significant setbacks.