THE Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, FUNAAB, and Obong of Calabar, Edidem Okon Abasi Otu V, has called on the federal government to fast-track stalled negotiations with key non-academic unions, warning that delays could disrupt the industrial peace Nigerian universities have enjoyed under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The Chancellor in his speech, delivered by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olushola Babatunde Kehinde during the university’s convocation at the weekend, spotlighted the recent breakthrough with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

The Federal Government signed a long-awaited agreement last month aimed at revitalizing Nigeria’s higher education sector through better funding and welfare packages—a move the Chancellor hailed as “heartwarming and commendable.”

However, non-academic staff have waited longer for similar relief. The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, launched indefinite strikes in 2022 over withheld salaries from a 2009 agreement and demands for earned allowances totaling over ₦1.5 trillion nationwide.

Partial payments in 2023 eased tensions temporarily, but fresh protests erupted in 2025 amid inflation and unpaid four-month salaries from another strike.

Negotiations resumed under the Tinubu government, yet progress has stalled, with unions threatening renewed action.

“I urge the federal government to go a step further by expediting action on the ongoing negotiations with SSANU, NASU, and NAAT,” the Chancellor declared. “This will ensure that industrial harmony, which our universities have been enjoying since the inception of the current administration, is not negatively affected.”

FUNAAB, a hub for agricultural innovation since its 1988 founding as the University of Abeokuta, has thrived amid this stability.

The Chancellor praised its “sound academic system, based on excellence, a strong institutional sector, robust community engagement… and virile academic leadership,” crediting deliberate efforts that position it “tall among the committee of universities, not just nationally, but globally.”

He also thanked President Tinubu for his “unwavering commitment to the advancement of not just FUNAAB, but also the education sector in general.”

Turning to the graduands, Edidem Otu V offered warm congratulations: “To our graduants, I extend my heartfelt felicitations… You must therefore see yourselves as privileged to be counted worthy to be beneficiaries of God’s mercy. Rejoice, for today is your day.”

He reflected on their journey—”early morning lectures, completing difficult assignments… burning the midnight oil”—as the “demanding process” they trusted to reach this milestone.

The monarch’s address underscored growing pressure on the government to balance academic and non-academic workforce needs, especially as FUNAAB showcases its latest graduates amid national calls for equitable education funding.

(Vanguard)

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