As Nigeria marks its 66th Independence Anniversary, the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) has called for urgent reforms in the university system, saying the state of higher education warrants sober reflection rather than celebration.
In an exclusive interview with the Nigerian Tribune, CONUA National President, Dr ‘Niyi Sunmonu said that although Nigerian universities had expanded in number and access, the system remained below the standards the country should aspire to achieve.
Sunmonu recalled the early 1970s, when Nigerian universities, despite being few in number, competed favourably with leading global institutions in teaching, scholarship, and research.
However, he said the decline that became evident in the late 1970s had yet to be reversed, adding that the expansion of universities had not been matched by comparable improvements in quality, infrastructure, research capacity and global competitiveness.
“We cannot celebrate yet,” the CONUA president stated.
To address the challenges, Sunmonu called for deliberate, sustained and long-term reforms, beginning with improved and sustainable funding.
He said universities could not deliver quality education without adequately equipped laboratories, modern equipment, functional digital infrastructure and sufficient research funding.
He urged the government to provide predictable funding and ensure that resources were channelled into functional facilities, research support and conducive learning environments.
He stressed that “quality assurance must be matched by quality funding.”
The union also called on the government to rebuild confidence in industrial relations within the university system.
Sunmonu said all duly registered unions should have fair and effective platforms for engagement, while negotiated agreements should be concluded and implemented within clearly defined timelines.
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He cited the delay in concluding and signing CONUA’s negotiated agreement as an example of the need for a more predictable and inclusive framework for industrial relations.
“A stable university system should not depend on which union can exert the greatest pressure,” Sunmonu said.
On staff welfare, the CONUA president demanded fairness over three-and-a-half months of salaries withheld from his members following the 2022 industrial dispute.
He maintained that CONUA members neither declared nor participated in the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike but had yet to receive the outstanding salaries.
According to him, resolving the matter would address a legitimate welfare concern and reinforce the principle that workers should not suffer the consequences of industrial action in which they did not participate.
CONUA also called for increased investment in research and innovation through better funding, modern specialised facilities and stronger partnerships among universities, industries and government.
The union stressed that university governance, including the administration of inter-university centres, should be based on merit, transparency, competence, academic leadership and relevant enabling laws.
It further called for sustained attention to staff welfare and career progression, noting that delays in promotions, allowances, and other entitlements continued to affect staff morale and productivity.
Sunmonu said Nigeria needed to move away from short-term crisis management and embrace long-term reforms capable of rebuilding the university system.
He said the goal should go beyond preventing strikes and resolving salary disputes to creating a university system that was adequately funded, properly governed, research-driven, technologically relevant and globally competitive.
CONUA described the 66th Independence Anniversary as an opportunity for honest assessment and renewed commitment rather than self-congratulation.
“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,” Sunmonu said.
He concluded, “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.”