The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has elected a consultant psychiatrist at the University of Jos Teaching Hospital, Prof. Chris Piwuna, as its new president.
Piwuna, who is the current Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Jos, Plateau State, emerged victorious during the union’s 23rd National Delegates Congress held on Sunday in Benin City, Edo State.
He contested the position against Professor Adamu Babayo of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, according to sources familiar with the election process.
Piwuna takes over from Prof. Victor Osodeke, a soil science expert from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, who has led the union through a series of high-profile negotiations and strikes over the last few years.
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However, there are growing fears of another potential industrial action as unresolved issues continue to strain relations between the federal government and university lecturers.
Chief among these concerns are disputes over the sharing formula for the recently released Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), the ongoing issue of brain drain, inadequate funding, and broader structural challenges confronting Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
Recall that on April 23, 2025, the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, announced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved N50billion to clear unpaid allowances of the varsity workers.
However, academic stakeholders nationwide believed that Piwuna’s experience in university administration and healthcare may offer a fresh perspective to ASUU’s advocacy. Hoping for stability and progress in the sector long plagued by crisis.