The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) chapter, has restated its dedication to strengthening national development through high-quality teaching, impactful research, and meaningful community service.
Speaking during the 2025 ASUU Day celebration held on Thursday at the Governor Peter Mbah Auditorium, ESUT’s Agbani campus, Acting Chairperson Comrade Andrew Apeh encouraged members to remain committed to academic excellence and to the ongoing struggle for improved welfare.
“As academics, we must continue to mentor our students, uphold standards, and contribute to national growth,” he said.
Apeh emphasized the need for unity among staff and a renewed push for the union’s welfare demands, insisting that their wellbeing must not be politicized.
“Our welfare is a fundamental right. It must be addressed squarely and without delay,” he stated.
Invoking Nelson Mandela’s famous quote, “The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail,” Apeh urged academic staff to persist in asserting their rights.
He expressed deep concern over the wide disparity in salaries between ESUT lecturers and their colleagues in other state and federal institutions.
“It is disheartening that our counterparts have been earning double our salary for nearly a year now. Meanwhile, we continue to struggle as our meagre earnings no longer align with current economic realities,” he lamented.
Apeh demanded the immediate implementation of the 25% and 35% wage award increments, a comprehensive salary review based on national benchmarks, and the settlement of the long-overdue Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) pending since 2008.
“This situation is urgent. ESUT staff have endured enough. We call on the state government and university management to act quickly,” he added.
In his remarks, the Chairperson of ASUU at Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Comrade Zubairu Abdulmumini Loko, commended the union for decades of resilience, describing ASUU as “unbroken, unbent, and unbowed.”
Loko painted a stark picture of the harsh realities faced by Nigerian academics.
“We teach like philosophers but are paid like apprentices. Our research builds nations, yet we work with facilities that should be kept in museums,” he said.
“No serious nation neglects its academics and expects to progress. Empower academics today, and Nigeria will transform tomorrow,” he asserted.
Loko also stressed the importance of wellness, stating that even lions rest.
“You cannot lead a revolution with blood pressure higher than school fees. Wellness is strategy, not weakness.”
He called on ESUT staff to stay united, mentor junior colleagues, strengthen union structures, safeguard their health, and fearlessly oppose injustice.
“If the system refuses to hear us, we will raise our voices even louder,” he declared.
Earlier, National Resource Person Comrade Ofukwu Raphael Agbo criticized Nigerian university professors for their reluctance to challenge wrongdoing. He classified professors into three categories, noting that many remain passive because of fear and political pressure.
“ASUU stands as the last moral firewall protecting Nigerian universities from collapse. Someone must speak truth to power, even when power refuses to listen,” he said.
