ASUU Slams FG-UK Deal, Calls it ‘New Colonialism’
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has strongly opposed the agreement between the Nigerian government and the United Kingdom on education, particularly the plan to establish a Coventry University campus in Nigeria. ASUU President, Christopher Piwuna, expressed the union’s concerns at a public lecture at Sa’adu Zungur University, alleging that the move is a threat to Nigeria’s university system.
Piwuna criticized the UK’s restrictive visa policies for Nigerian students while seeking to operate universities in Nigeria, calling it a form of colonialism. “They have denied Nigerians visas to study in the UK, yet they’re coming here to establish universities and take our money,” he said. ASUU will resist this move, he added.
The union believes foreign universities are expanding into Nigeria due to financial struggles and declining international student enrolment. Piwuna emphasized that Nigerian universities should be strengthened instead of allowing foreign institutions to dominate the sector.
