New era but same science background as ASUU elects a psychiatrist president to lead
It is Emmanuel Osodeke, another professor working at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, who was elected in 2021, that the latest national president takes over from.
Although the change of guard that happened within the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) setup after an election held on Sunday, 11 May 2025, has not reflected on the organisation’s communication channels as of early this morning, what is being widely reported is that a new national president, Prof. Chris Piwuna has taken over the burdens that such a critical entity has long dealt with on behalf of its members.
The new president, who has a doctoral degree in medicine and is reportedly a consultant psychiatrist, had previously held a deputy officer post before assuming the new role.
It is Emmanuel Osodeke, another professor working at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, who was elected in 2021, that the latest national president takes over from.
One of Prof. Piwuna’s recent jobs was being a former Dean of Students Affairs at the University of Jos, Plateau State. His emergence as the national president came after overcoming contest from a Bauchi State representative, particularly from the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University professor, Adamu Babayo.
This was at an election held yesterday during ASUU’s 23rd National Delegates Congress at the University of Benin in Benin City, Edo State.
Before an anticipated official communique confirming the event comes out later today, what could a new Academic Staff Union of Universities national president confront, judging from the 3-year reign in office of the previous top executive, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke?
The administration of the current President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, whose time in office started on 29 May 2023, ASUU has surprisingly not experienced any national strike, unlike what was observed in the previous regimes.
Despite this, there are key issues to address. Under consultant psychiatrist Prof. Chris Piwuna, who is also the Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Jos, what might these be?
Challenges ahead for Prof. Chris Piwuna
The election of Prof. Chris Piwuna as the new national president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) signals a new era for Nigeria’s higher education system. However, despite the absence of nationwide industrial actions since President Bola Tinubu’s administration began on 29 May 2023, the challenges before ASUU remain vast and complex.
Regarding key issues to address, one will be to heal totally from low funding for universities, even though it already looks like the President of Nigeria has been up and doing.
In April, the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olagunji Alausa, announced that ₦50 billion by the Federal Government had been released to the academic and non-academic staff unions of federal universities for the settlement of earned allowances, just as promised.
With increasing demands for institutional autonomy, Prof. Piwuna will need to negotiate funding models that can sustain quality education while maintaining ASUU’s stance on government investment in public universities.
ASUU has persistently opposed the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) or its replacement – the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), opting instead for the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).
Prof. Piwuna’s administration most likely will continue that push for full adoption of UTAS, ensuring a payroll system that aligns with university autonomy and academic best practices.
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Before the exit from the post over the weekend, ASUU’s immediate national president Sodeke had granted an interview, confirming that many of us lecturers have not received our April salaries as we speak, and the issue is nothing other than to blackmail our members for rejecting IPPIS and to bring us back to the platform – that is, the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System.
The Nigerian academic community will now wait for ASUU’s official statement to outline the new president’s roadmap and engagement strategy. Will he push ASUU into a confrontational stance if agreements are breached? Or will he consolidate a more strategic, policy-driven advocacy? Time will tell.
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
