The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has refuted claims by the federal government that N50 billion has been disbursed to address longstanding earned academic allowances for university lecturers.
In an exclusive chat with SaharaReporters on Wednesday, ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, expressed scepticism over the announcement made by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He stated that the union has not received any credible confirmation or official documentation indicating that the said funds have been released.
According to Osodeke, “They say N50 billion was released to ASUU, yet other unions are being mentioned. Each union negotiates independently—this should not be generalized.”
He further clarified that the government has only made verbal commitments and has not presented any tangible evidence of payment.
“I haven’t seen any official report confirming the release. Until we are shown proof, we cannot take their word for it. Everything has been verbal so far—we’ve not seen any money,” Osodeke emphasized.
Earlier, the federal government, through Education Minister Dr. Maruf Alausa, had announced the release of the N50 billion allocation in a statement titled “FG Releases N50bn Earned Allowances to Varsity Unions, Tinubu Reaffirms Education Priority.”
The release, made public by Folasade Boriowo, Director of Press at the Federal Ministry of Education, was described as a significant step toward revamping Nigeria’s education sector.
The statement portrayed the move as part of President Tinubu’s broader agenda to shift Nigeria from a resource-dependent economy to one driven by knowledge and human capital development.
“This is more than just a financial gesture—it reflects the President’s confidence in the youth and the essential role of university staff in shaping the country’s future,” the ministry stated.
The release also credited the current academic stability in Nigerian universities to improved relations between the government and educational institutions, noting that the country is experiencing one of its longest periods without academic disruption in recent years.
Despite these declarations, ASUU maintains that until funds are physically verified, the union will remain cautious and unconvinced.
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