The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) wants the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, to treat academics in the country with “utmost respect.”

The academic union also advised the former Lagos State Governor to ensure that University education becomes a priority.

Speaking with the Punch, the Chairman of ASUU, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, who is also a member of the National Executive Council of ASUU, Professor Gbolahan Bolarin, urged the incoming government not to emulate the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari on education.

Professor Bolarin cautioned against lackadaisical attitude to education, saying no one should make the students stay at home for months.

He said, “The first thing that one would expect from the next President is that university education must be a priority. No one should treat university education system with disdain that would make our students to stay at home for eight months because of governance failure.

ASUU embarked on strike in February 2022 over demands for improved welfare, and owed earned allowances, amongst others.

The strike was called off on October 14, 2022 after eight months.

Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, the President of ASUU, warned while speaking to newsmen on October 16, that lecturers are so broke they may find it difficult to fund transportation to their various institutions due to the non-payment of their salary arrears.

The ASUU leader explained then that the lecturers are only remaining in the classrooms in spite of the unfavorable treatment from the government as a sacrifice for the sake of students and parents as well as the country at large.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, is a Nigerian union of university academic staff, founded in 1978.

It is an offshoot of the Nigerian Association of University Teachers which was established in 1965.