An educational advocate and founder of the Onono Onimisi Foundation (OOF), Onono Onimisi Rafatu, has defended the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), insisting that the union’s agitations are driven by a fight for dignity and better education, not for comfort.
Rafatu, in an opinion piece titled “ASUU and Government: Who to Blame?” on Tuesday, faulted the Federal Government’s handling of ongoing negotiations with the lecturers’ union.
She accused the authorities of consistently undermining the education sector through neglect and poor funding.
According to her, “ASUU’s fight has never been about comfort. It is a cry for respect, for better funding, and for a system that values education with the same urgency it gives to politics.”
She argued that the government, not the lecturers, should bear the blame for the recurring industrial crises in Nigerian universities.
“Let’s be honest, the true culprits here are not the lecturers but the government—the same system that underfunds education, delays salaries, and pays lip service to reform,” she said.
Rafatu described lecturers as unsung heroes who continue to serve under harsh conditions while striving to inspire hope among students despite the government’s failure to prioritise education.
“Our lecturers are not the enemies. They are the ones who mark scripts late into the night, report to class even when their pockets are dry, and still try to inspire hope in a decaying system,” she stated.
She added that ASUU’s agitation was about ensuring that the next generation learns in an environment that rewards excellence, not endurance.
“Before you point fingers or dismiss their demands, take a moment to reflect. Spend just two weeks teaching without pay, without recognition, and without support. Only then will you understand the weight ASUU carries,” Rafatu wrote.
She urged the public to see ASUU’s struggle as a call for justice and reform, not disruption, stressing that “the real question isn’t ‘Why is ASUU always fighting?’ but ‘Why does the government always give them a reason to?’”
According to her, until the government fulfils its promises and honours agreements, university education in Nigeria would continue to suffer setbacks caused by neglect and indifference.
