The Academic Staff Union of Universities has warned the federal government against plans to scrap courses it described as “irrelevant” in Nigerian universities.
The union, under its Bauchi Zone, issued the warning during a press conference in Bauchi on Wednesday, where it drew attention to issues threatening industrial harmony in the university system.
Speaking during the briefing, the Zonal Coordinator of ASUU Bauchi Zone, Comrade Namo Timothy, described the federal government’s recent pronouncement on scrapping some courses in public universities as “bizarre.”
The Federal Government had, on April 26, 2026, during the “Renewed Hope Conversation” with students of the University of Abuja, announced plans to phase out courses considered irrelevant to the country’s economic future from the university system.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, had said the era of studying courses with limited real-world value was ending, adding that the government was intensifying efforts to align university education with labour market demands and global trends.
Reacting to the development, Timothy faulted the minister’s position, insisting that every course in the university system has societal and economic relevance.
He said, “The minister claimed that mass production of graduates in social sciences and humanities is compounding the problem of unemployment and youth restiveness in the country.
“He reasoned that scrapping such courses was part of a comprehensive plan to align Nigeria’s education system with labour market demands, global standards, and trends in research, innovation, and development.
“We make bold to state that every course in the university has its utilitarian values both in personal and societal spheres. After all, the foundation for cultivation of core competences classified as 21st century or soft skills — critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication and digital literacy — are laid by the so-called useless courses like philosophy, religious studies, linguistics and fine arts.”
Timothy further argued that unemployment in the country could not be blamed solely on graduates of social sciences and humanities.
“Who told the Honourable Minister that only graduates of Social Sciences and Humanities are unemployed in Nigeria? To attribute mass unemployment to studying ‘irrelevant courses’ is to over-simplify a complex economic management problem,” he added.
The union maintained that it would resist any attempt to scrap academic programmes in Nigerian universities.
“ASUU rejects any attempt to scrap academic programmes in Nigerian universities and shall work with pro-people organisations to vehemently resist it,” Timothy vowed.
The union also decried what it described as the distorted and non-implementation of the December 2025 FGN/ASUU Agreement by both the federal and state governments.
According to ASUU, unresolved issues include the three-and-a-half-month withheld salaries, promotion arrears, salary shortfalls arising from the use of the IPPIS platform, unremitted third-party deductions and arrears of the 23/35 per cent wage award.
The union warned that the growing frustration among academics could trigger another round of industrial unrest if the issues were not urgently addressed.
“We call on relevant stakeholders, well-meaning Nigerians and compatriots in the press to prevail on both the federal and state governments to fully implement the 2025 FGN/ASUU Agreement and resolve all outstanding issues in the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians,” the union stressed.
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