JUST IN: Uncertainty Looms as ASUU Elects New President at Crucial Congress

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has entered a new chapter, electing Prof. Chris Piwuna, a consultant psychiatrist and Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Jos, as its next president.

The election took place during the union’s 23rd National Delegates Congress in Benin, where delegates gathered to address pressing issues facing Nigeria’s higher education sector.

Piwuna’s victory over a rival from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University marks a significant leadership transition. He succeeds a soil science professor who previously led the union through turbulent times. Piwuna’s assumption of office coincides with widespread speculation about possible industrial action, as the union debates the government’s formula for distributing Earned Academic Allowances and contends with chronic underfunding and academic staff migration.

The new president’s tenure is expected to be defined by negotiations with the government and efforts to address the longstanding challenges that have historically triggered industrial actions within Nigerian universities.