Professor Chris Piwuna has been elected as the new President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), succeeding Professor Victor Osodeke.
Piwuna, a consultant psychiatrist at the University of Jos Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and current Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Jos, Plateau State, emerged victorious during the union’s 23rd National Delegates Congress, which was held on Sunday in Benin City, Edo State.
According to verified sources familiar with the development, Piwuna contested the top ASUU position against Professor Adamu Babayo of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi.
Piwuna takes the helm of the academic union at a delicate time, as speculation grows over the possibility of renewed industrial action by university lecturers.
Key issues fuelling the tension include the unresolved sharing formula of the Earned Academic Allowances recently released by the Federal Government, ongoing concerns about brain drain among academic staff, and a backlog of systemic challenges affecting Nigeria’s public universities.
His election marks a new chapter for ASUU, with expectations that he will continue negotiations and advocacy efforts on behalf of academic staff nationwide.
