Ex-NLC President Alleges FG Created CONUA to Undermine ASUU

Hassan Sunmonu, former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has alleged that the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) was orchestrated by the federal government to weaken the negotiating power of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Sunmonu, who also served as the General Secretary of the Organisation of African Trade Unions (OATUU), made the claim on Sunday during a panel discussion on the Toyin Falola Interview Series. The session, themed “Trade Unions, Labour, and African Politics”, was chaired by Professor Toyin Falola and featured other notable participants, including Idowu Olayinka, Achike Chude, Owei Lakemfa, and Zikora Ibeh.

CONUA, a breakaway faction of ASUU formed in 2018, reportedly emerged due to disagreements over the union’s reliance on strikes as a bargaining tool. Speaking on the panel, Sunmonu questioned the legitimacy and effectiveness of CONUA in collective bargaining.

“How many collective bargaining agreements has CONUA achieved since it broke away from ASUU? The union was created by the government as an opposition to ASUU,” Sunmonu said. “CONUA always rides on the outcomes of ASUU’s negotiations and is largely under government influence. It is not in the interest of any Nigerian university lecturer to be part of a breakaway faction controlled by government.”

Sunmonu further claimed that some stakeholders are deliberately trying to weaken public universities to boost patronage for private institutions.

“It is in the interest of the public, Nigerians, and the education sector that public universities are properly funded,” he stated. “Education makes a people easy to govern but difficult to enslave. Primary and secondary education in Nigeria has been eroded, and our universities are on the verge of collapse if not for unions like ASUU.”

The former labour leader urged that efforts to salvage the education sector should continue despite current challenges, noting that previous leaders benefited from free education and that hope for improvement must not be lost.