University lecturers have cautioned that a fresh confrontation with the Federal Government may be unavoidable, citing unfulfilled agreements and what they described as a continued lack of genuine commitment during negotiations.

The Abuja Zonal Coordinator of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Adam Al-Amin Abdullahi, stated this while speaking with the press in Abuja on Monday.

Abdullahi, who was represented by the Chairman of ASUU at Yakubu Gowon University (formerly University of Abuja), Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh, said the union was compelled to brief Nigerians because the issues at the heart of our struggle remain far from resolved.”

He recalled that ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) had considered the government’s proposals on 21 October 2025 and accepted them in good faith, despite their being extremely inadequate.

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According to him, the decision to suspend the two-week strike on 22 October was taken out of respect for our students, parents, the media, the Nigeria Labour Congress, and other well-meaning Nigerians.

“Nearly four weeks later, it is obvious that the Federal Government has not used the goodwill period effectively. The measures taken so far are inadequate and nowhere near addressing the fundamental issues. There is simply no sense of urgency.

“We believe that the best way to revitalise public universities is through sincere negotiation rather than propaganda. However, when agreements are broken, payments are withheld, or deception is employed in place of interaction, the Union has a moral and constitutional obligation to defend public education and safeguard its members.

“ASUU will not think twice about using every lawful tool at its disposal if the government continues to trivialise challenges that undermine the existence of public universities. In conclusion, we implore all Nigerians to persuade the government to take the necessary steps right away in order to prevent another preventable industrial crisis.

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“The future of Nigeria’s public universities, as well as the future of our students, cannot be sacrificed on the altar of insincerity. indifference, and political grandstanding,” he said.

A key area of contention, he stated, remains the issue of salaries and working conditions.

Ugoh noted that the government’s proposed adjustments were merely tokenistic, insisting they were insufficient to halt the ongoing exodus of academics. “These proposals cannot restore honour to the profession, nor can they keep our best minds in the system,” he said.

He acknowledged some recent actions by the government, including the release of certain third-party deductions and partial payment of long-outstanding promotion arrears. Still, he dismissed them as confidence-building measures rather than concrete steps toward resolving the core issues.

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According to him, government officials continue to exaggerate these minor moves as major achievements, adding that financial data shows both federal and state revenues have grown significantly in recent years, contradicting claims of limited resources.

The union maintained that several critical matters remain unresolved, including full renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, the release of withheld salaries for three and a half months, and the payment of outstanding wage awards and unremitted deductions.

“It is unfortunate that the Honourable Minister of Education has repeatedly made untrue public claims suggesting these issues have been resolved. Only a small fraction of what is owed has been released.”

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“The combination of unpaid awards, withheld salaries, and chronic underfunding is crippling the university system. Students are suffering through prolonged calendars and disrupted learning. Lecturers are demoralised, and the quality of teaching and research is sinking.”

The Abuja Zone appealed to parents, students, civil society organisations, the National Assembly, and traditional rulers to demand transparency and accountability in the management of education resources. “Nigerians must reject false information and insist on verifiable evidence. This struggle is about the survival of public universities.”

While emphasising the union’s preference for dialogue, Ugoh cautioned that ASUU would not hesitate to act if necessary, urging Nigerians to pressure the government to act swiftly to avoid another avoidable crisis. “The future of our students and the stability of our universities cannot be sacrificed on the altar of insincerity and political grandstanding.”

Nigeria’s pioneer manufacturer of blood glucose monitoring systems, Colexa Biosensor Ltd, has announced the commencement of the Federal Government’s nationwide diabetes screening and capacity-building programme, following the procurement of essential medical supplies, including locally manufactured diabetes diagnostic kits.

The initiative officially kicked off yesterday in the North-Central geopolitical zone, beginning with the training of government health officials across primary healthcare centres (PHCs). This will be followed by a nationwide screening campaign targeting five million Nigerians across the country’s 774 Local Government Areas.

As part of this effort, the Federal Government will distribute over 77,000 units of the OnPoint Blood Glucose Monitoring System, produced by Colexa Biosensor in Lagos, to individuals diagnosed with diabetes during the screening exercise. Each PHC will also receive diagnostic and monitoring devices to support ongoing community-level diabetes care.

This programme marks a major milestone in advancing local production, improving access to early diagnosis, and strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare value chain.

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Speaking, National Desk officer, Diabetes, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Alayo Sopekan, described diabetes as one of the fastest-growing health burdens in Nigeria, emphasising the urgent need for early detection and monitoring.

According to the Managing Director, Colexa Biosensor, Kingsley Aguoru, he said the partnership reflects the Federal Government’s confidence in local manufacturing capacity and reiterated their commitment to delivering high-quality, reliable diagnostic tools to improve early detection and long-term management of diabetes and other non-communicable diseases across the country.

The programme also aligns with the Federal Government’s broader medical relief agenda aimed at reducing the cost of essential health commodities, improving affordability, and strengthening diagnostic services nationwide. Training and screening activities will continue across all six geo-political zones in the coming weeks, he said.

The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr Dennis Otuaro, has said that President Bola Tinubu is very strategic in his approach to addressing the issues of development, economic growth and sustainable peace in the Niger Delta.

According to a statement by his
Special Assistant on Media, Mr Igoniko Oduma, Otuaro spoke on Saturday at a town hall meeting with PAP stakeholders and Niger Deltans residing in Lagos, hosted by prominent Niger Delta activist and Founder/President of Ijaw Monitoring Group, Chief Joseph Eva.

Among other notable stakeholders in attendance were the Chairman of Ijaw National Congress, Lagos chapter, Prince Tonye Harry; Prof. Dauphin Moro, Engr. Titus Posibi, Chief (Mrs) Amarian Benedicta, Chief (Mrs) Ogbogbo, Evangelist Agboro, Chief Emmanuel Fiawe, Robert Fiawe, Elder Regent Youmor, Mrs RoseMary Aluko, and the Chairman of IYC, Lagos chapter, Comrade Owen Naphatin.

He stated that Tinubu’s strategy as captured in his Renewed Hope Agenda is working for the Niger Delta, and could be seen in his deliberate effort at tackling the challenges of development, security and sustainable peace in the region.

According to him, the President’s administration has not only restored peace in the area, but also delivering on his campaign promises around human capacity and infrastructure development for the area.

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According to Otuaro, the solid support of the President, and the National Security Adviser for the PAP, is responsible for the expansion of the scholarship scheme and other milestone achievements the programme has recorded in vocational training, peacebuiliding and stakeholder engagement.

He told the stakeholders that while in-country scholarship deployment was 3800 in the 2024/2025 academic year, the figure increased to 3900 in 2025/2026 and foreign scholarships were about 200.

He assured them that the PAP under his leadership would continue to do its best to ensure that more indigent youths were provided access to higher educational attainments with requisite skills and knowledge for self-reliance and nation building.

The PAP boss stressed that human resource development was pivotal to the socio-economic advancement and development of the region’s people as well as sustainable peace and security.

While thanking the President for not holding back support for the PAP, he re-assured the stakeholders that Tinubu would do much more for the region after his reelection in 2027, and urged them to reciprocate his large-heartedness.

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Otuaro further said, “One of the things you must know about His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, is that he is very strategic and systematic in his approach to resolving issues of development, socio-economic growth, security and sustainable peace in our region- the Niger Delta.

“You all can see how Mr President’s deliberate approach is producing positive results in our region. There is no doubt that Mr President’s strategy is working for the Niger Delta.

“This applies to the huge support that he has been giving to the Presidential Amnesty Programme under my leadership, for which we are very grateful.

“Because of His Excellency’s massive backing, we have been able to expand the programme’s scholarship scheme, and it is our strong hope that more students of indigent backgrounds from impacted communities will benefit from the initiative. We will also continue to strengthen our policy of inclusivity.

“I want to, again, thank His Excellency for finding me worthy for appointment; to take up the baton of leadership at the PAP with the help of the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who has been very supportive of our initiatives since I assumed office.

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“I urge you and all the people of the Niger Delta to continue to support the administration of Mr President because we are confident that, judging from the many good things he is doing in our region, he will do even much more for us after his reelection in 2027.”

In his remarks, the host, Chief Joseph Eva expressed confidence in the PAP Administrator’s leadership ability, and commended him for the remarkable achievements the agency has recorded under him.

“I am not surprised because I have known Dr Dennis Otuaro very closely for many years, and the values he stands for. He is a very focused person.

“Indeed, Dr Otuaro has achieved a lot in human capital development, vocational skills and peacebuilding process for our region. We have confidence in his leadership, vision, and dedication to regional development”, Eva said,

The highpoint of the town hall meeting was the conferment of ‘Best Iconic Administrator Award’ on Otuaro by the stakeholders.