THE MOVEMENT for Socialist Transformation (MOST) has thrown its full weight behind the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), describing the union’s ongoing struggle as a “patriotic” defense of public education against a four-decade-long “asphyxiation policy” orchestrated by imperialism and Nigeria’s “prodigal ruling class.”
In a strongly-worded press statement issued on Thursday, MOST positioned the current negotiations between ASUU and the Federal Government as a critical battlefront in a wider war for the soul of Nigeria’s tertiary education system, which it warns is on the brink of “complete collapse.”
The group traced the roots of the crisis back to the late 1970s, linking the chronic underfunding of universities to the “economic policy of recolonization” embodied by the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP).
MOST accused successive governments, both military and civilian, of continuing this policy, leading to “deepened underdevelopment and mass poverty.”
“The under-funding of Nigerian universities, the ridiculously low wages of lecturers, and the concomitant subversion of university autonomy remain extant in ASUU’s demands,” the statement read, defending the union’s decision to remain at the “barricade” for over forty years.
A Trillion-Naira Deficit and “Gimmick” Solutions
MOST highlighted the staggering scale of neglect, recalling that a government-led Needs Assessment Committee in 2013 had itself proposed a N1.3 trillion Revitalization Fund. The group argued that due to the devaluation of the Naira, which it blamed on World Bank policies, that figure would today be equivalent to about N20 trillion.
“This reveals how unserious and irresponsible the overlapping regimes of Nigeria’s ruling class have been,” the statement asserted.
It further lambasted government initiatives like the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), describing them as “gimmicks” designed to mask perpetually low budgetary allocations to education. MOST cited government data indicating that only 10% of over 2.1 million university students accessed the loan in the 2024/2025 cycle, calling it a failed attempt to improve access without addressing fundamental funding issues.
Brain Drain and the Fight for a Living Wage
Pushing back against media and government narratives that paint ASUU’s salary demands as excessive, MOST declared that Nigerian academics are “the most overworked and least paid academics in the world.”
The group framed the issue of competitive wages as a matter of national sovereignty, arguing that academic work is inherently international. “Only a patriotic academic, medical doctor, etc. remains in Nigeria,” the statement noted, emphasizing that improving emoluments is the only way to “stem brain drain” and prevent the total collapse of the country’s intellectual base.
Autonomy Under Attack
The statement also delved into the contentious issue of university autonomy, clarifying that it “does not mean self-funding” or abandonment by the government.
MOST argued that the erosion of this autonomy has corrupted university governance, giving central authorities like the Federal Government unchecked power.
It specifically condemned the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), accusing the government of using it to “illegally seize funds of workers’ cooperatives and other third-party deductions,” thereby further strangulating university operations and infringing on workers’ rights.
A Broader Class War
MOST situated the attack on ASUU within a larger “privatisation policy” that is “killing public service” and delivering national assets to for-profit entities. This policy, it claimed, is part of a “renewed war” by the ruling class against organized labour, including medical doctors and oil workers, which now entails a “virtual ban on trade unions and trade union organising.”
In an urgent call to action, MOST endorsed the Nigeria Labour Congress’s demand for a speedy conclusion to negotiations. It also proposed a major National Conference of Nigeria’s Trade Union Movement to forge a united front to “reverse the economic and social policies that have brought Nigeria to its knees in the last forty years.”
The statement concluded with a rallying cry of “Solidarity for Ever,” signaling a resolve to stand with ASUU and the broader working class in what it portrays as an existential fight for the future of Nigeria.
