The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed dissatisfaction with Nigeria’s education budget, signaling a potential strike in 2024 due to insufficient funding and low pay within the sector.
ASUU Chairman, Prof. Emmanuel Oshodeke, highlighted President Bola Tinubu’s campaign pledge to raise the education sector allocation to 15% or more, aligning with the UN’s recommendation of a 26% benchmark for member countries.
Oshodeke lamented Nigeria’s status as the country with the world’s lowest pay for professors. He criticized the 2024 education budget of N2.18 trillion, amounting to 7.9% of the total budget, unchanged from previous years under the Buhari administration.
ASUU urged the government to increase the education budget to at least 15% of the total, emphasizing that without substantial growth in funding, the sector’s prospects remain bleak.
Oshodeke warned of potential mobilization for action if their demands, including improved budgetary allocation, are not met, citing states like Oyo (15%) and Enugu (32%) with significantly higher education budgets compared to the federal government’s less than 8%.
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