ASUU Rejects Coventry University Nigeria Plan, Cites £58m Deficit and Recolonisation Concerns

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared its intention to resist the Federal Government's reported plan to establish a Nigerian campus of Coventry University, describing the proposal as an attempt to commercialise and undermine Nigeria's higher education system.

ASUU President Chris Piwuna announced the union's position at a public lecture organised by the Sa'adu Zungur University branch of ASUU in Bauchi over the weekend. He revealed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed an agreement during a recent State visit to the United Kingdom that includes plans to bring Coventry University to Nigeria.

Piwuna questioned the rationale behind inviting a foreign Institution that is itself facing financial difficulties, citing a £58 million deficit and declining African student enrolment at Coventry, alongside cost cutting measures projected to reach £100 million over the next two years. He also argued that the plan contradicts the Federal Government's existing moratorium on establishing new Universities in Nigeria.

"They deny Nigerians visas to study abroad, yet they want to come here and take our money," he said, describing the proposal as a form of recolonisation of the country's education sector. "This will not stand. We are going to resist it," Piwuna declared.

The lecture, which centred on academic responsibility and entrepreneurship, also featured a discussion on financial independence for lecturers. Suleiman Abdullahi Karwai of Ahmadu Bello University's Department of Business Administration urged academics to build income streams through shareholding, real estate, publishing and consultancy alongside their university work. "No lecturer should be poor. Many of our colleagues are already leveraging such opportunities while maintaining academic integrity," he said.

On a separate note, Piwuna commended the Vice Chancellor of Sa'adu Zungur University, Professor Fatima Tahir, for implementing a new salary structure for staff, describing the decision as a positive step for academic welfare in the Institution.