The Democratic Front (TDF) has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what it described as the speedy implementation of key components of the renegotiated agreement between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Mallam Danjuma Muhammad, and Secretary, Chief Wale Adedayo, the group said the development would foster harmony and stability in public universities across the country.
TDF particularly lauded the implementation of a 40 per cent increase in the Consolidated Academic Allowance (CAA) for university lecturers, noting that the agreement was reached only a few months ago.
“We commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the speedy implementation of key welfare components of the renegotiated agreement between his government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU),” the statement read.
According to the group, the prompt action demonstrates the President’s commitment to advancing education and fulfilling his campaign promises.
“The implementation of the 40 per cent increase in the Consolidated Academic Allowance (CAA) for university lecturers shows President Tinubu’s passion to advance the course of education in Nigeria and his avowed commitment to maintaining his enviable track record of fulfilling campaign promises,” it added.
TDF described the move as a departure from past experiences marked by delays in salary payments and welfare packages for lecturers, which it said had contributed to decades of instability in the university system.
“For decades, Nigeria has laboured under the agony of persistent neglect and disruption of its university education system due to lack of prompt payment of salaries and deserving emoluments to lecturers,” the group stated.
It expressed optimism that the swift implementation of the agreement would usher in uninterrupted academic calendars in Nigerian universities, reducing the frequency of industrial actions that have disrupted academic programmes over the years.
The group lamented that repeated strikes by ASUU over the last four decades had negatively affected the education sector and compelled many Nigerian parents to send their children abroad for studies.
“In the first half of 2025 alone, approximately $1.39 billion (about N2.16 trillion) was spent on foreign education by Nigerian parents and students,” the statement noted, arguing that such expenditure could have been conserved for domestic socio-economic development.
TDF said it anticipates that improved government union relations would ensure that academic programmes in public universities run their full course without prolonged interruptions.
“Under this new order of Government-ASUU relationship, we anticipate that a four year academic programme, which sometimes stretches to seven years due to disruptions, will now take exactly four years to complete,” the group said.
It added that the implementation of the agreement would motivate lecturers to redouble their efforts toward improving the standard of education in public universities.
The group also urged Nigerians to continue supporting President Tinubu’s administration as it pursues reforms aimed at repositioning the country’s education sector and broader economy.
