The Academic Staff Union of Universities has elected Prof. Chris Piwuna as its new national president.
Piwuna, a consultant psychiatrist at the University of Jos Teaching Hospital and the current Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Jos, was chosen during the union’s 23rd National Delegates Congress, which held on Sunday in Benin City, Edo State.
Prof. Piwuna succeeds Prof. Victor Osodeke, a soil science expert from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, who served as ASUU’s national president during a turbulent tenure marked by prolonged industrial actions and strained negotiations with the Federal Government.
Sources familiar with the internal proceedings of the election confirmed that Prof. Piwuna defeated Prof. Adamu Babayo of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, in a tightly contested vote by delegates from ASUU branches nationwide.
The new president assumes office at a critical juncture for the union, as tensions continue to mount over unresolved issues such as the Federal Government’s disbursement formula for Earned Academic Allowances, worsening academic brain drain, underfunding of public universities, and growing speculation about the possibility of fresh industrial action.
Prof. Piwuna, who had served as ASUU’s national vice president under Prof. Osodeke, is expected to bring continuity and experience to the union’s leadership as it navigates persistent challenges within Nigeria’s public university system.
Details later…
