Nigeria's ASUU warns of university crisis as govt pushes to scrap courses

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has publicly opposed the Federal Government’s plan to remove certain humanities and social‑science programmes from public universities, saying every discipline contributes to critical thinking and national development. Union representatives in Bauchi and Sokoto zones argued the move, announced by Education Minister Tunji Alausa on 26 April 2026, unfairly targets fields such as philosophy, linguistics and fine arts and misattributes unemployment to graduates of these subjects.

ASUU also warned that failure to fully implement the 2025 ASUU‑FGN agreement could trigger another industrial dispute. The union said the government has not formed the promised Implementation Monitoring Committee and has delayed salary increments, arrears, pension payments and other allowances for lecturers. It expressed concern over the proposed Coventry University campus in Nigeria, citing risks of educational dependence, and highlighted escalating insecurity in northern Nigeria that threatens students and staff.

The union called on federal and state authorities to honour all components of the agreement, retain all academic programmes, and improve security and funding for the university system.