The Congress of University Academics, CONUA, has called for urgent reforms in Nigeria’s university system, saying the expansion of higher education has not been matched by improvements in quality, infrastructure and research capacity.
CONUA National President, Dr ‘Niyi Sunmonu, made the call as Nigeria marked its 66th Independence Anniversary, describing the state of university education as a matter for sober reflection rather than celebration.
Sunmonu said Nigerian universities in the early 1970s, despite being few in number, competed favourably with leading institutions globally in teaching, scholarship and research.
He said the decline that became evident from the late 1970s had not been fully reversed, despite the subsequent expansion in the number of universities and increased access to higher education.
“We cannot celebrate yet,” Sunmonu stated.
He called for deliberate and sustained reforms, beginning with improved and predictable funding for universities.
According to him, universities cannot provide quality education without adequately equipped laboratories, modern equipment, functional digital infrastructure and sufficient funding for research.
He urged the Federal Government to ensure that funding was directed towards functional facilities, research support and conducive learning environments.
“Quality assurance must be matched by quality funding,” he said.
The union also called for reforms to industrial relations in the university system, urging the government to provide fair platforms for all duly registered unions to engage with authorities.
Sunmonu said negotiated agreements should be concluded and implemented within clearly defined timelines, citing the delay in concluding and signing CONUA’s negotiated agreement as an indication of the need for a more predictable framework.
“A stable university system should not depend on which union can exert the greatest pressure,” he said.
On staff welfare, Sunmonu demanded the payment of three-and-a-half months’ salaries withheld from CONUA members following the 2022 industrial dispute.
He maintained that CONUA members neither declared nor participated in the Academic Staff Union of Universities strike but had yet to receive the outstanding salaries.
He said resolving the issue would address what he described as a legitimate welfare concern and reinforce the principle that workers should not bear the consequences of industrial action in which they did not participate.
CONUA further called for increased investment in research and innovation through improved funding, specialised facilities and stronger partnerships among universities, industries and government.
The union also advocated transparent and merit-based university governance, including the administration of inter-university centres, with emphasis on competence, academic leadership and compliance with relevant laws.
Sunmonu said staff welfare and career progression also required sustained attention, noting that delays in promotions, allowances and other entitlements affected morale and productivity.
He urged the government to move beyond short-term responses to strikes and salary disputes and pursue long-term reforms aimed at creating a properly funded, well-governed and research-driven university system.
Sunmonu said Nigeria’s Independence Anniversary should provide an opportunity for an honest assessment of the country’s higher education system.
“Nigeria once demonstrated that a relatively small university system could compete with the best in the world. Restoring that capacity requires deliberate policy, sustained investment, institutional integrity, equitable engagement, and faithful implementation of agreements,” he said.
He added, “There is much to rebuild. We cannot celebrate yet; but we can begin, deliberately and sustainably, to restore the Nigerian university to the level of excellence it once demonstrated.”
Discussion0