The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has elected Prof. Chris Piwuna, a consultant psychiatrist at the University of Jos Teaching Hospital and current Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Jos, as its new national president.
Piwuna succeeds Prof. Victor Emmanuel Osodeke, a professor of Soil Science from the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, who served as the union’s president during a period marked by several high-profile nationwide strikes and negotiations with the Federal Government.
The decision to elect Piwuna was made during the 23rd National Delegates Conference of the union, held on Sunday in Benin City, Edo State. According to sources familiar with the internal process, the election was closely contested between Piwuna and Prof. Adamu Babayo of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi.
Piwuna’s emergence comes at a critical moment, as ASUU continues to grapple with long-standing issues affecting Nigerian universities. Among the top concerns are the controversy surrounding the sharing formula of the recently released Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), worsening brain drain among academic staff, underfunding of public universities, and government’s continued use of the controversial Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
With rising speculations of a potential nationwide strike, many observers expect Piwuna to hit the ground running by reopening dialogue with the Federal Government to resolve these pressing concerns.
Stakeholders within the education sector and beyond will be watching closely to see how Piwuna navigates these challenges, balances internal union politics, and positions ASUU’s voice in the evolving landscape of higher education reform in Nigeria.
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