Academic Staff Union of Universities and the Middle Level Academic Leadership in Nigerian Public Universities

Trade Union in Higher Education Development in Nigeria dates back to the Nigerian Association of Universities Teachers. The Union was formed mainly to attend to the welfare of University Teachers. Academic Staff Union of Universities was an offshoot of the former, but extended the struggle to check Post-Colonial State elites in Nigeria for the interest of the common people to access education and their wellbeing by providing leadership in Higher Educational Institutions. A number of studies have been carried out on the role of Trade Union in Higher Education development. Suffice it to say, that the role of Trade Unions in leadership development in Higher Educational Institutions have not been substantially investigated. This study examines Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as a Trade Union in ensuring leadership development in Nigeria public universities. In doing this, we draws attention on how the Union has inculcated the culture of academic struggle resilience in leadership development amongst Middle Level academics in her struggle for a better higher education in the quest for more funding, academic freedom and democratization of university system. In this regards, the union through her members mentor the middle level academics in appreciating these ideas as the leeway for quality education away from the inclusions of market economy in commoditization of Higher education in Nigeria and Africa at large beyond the reach of the downtrodden. The paper recommends that the Nigerian State should continue to provide the necessary funding for Higher education, in pursuit of academic freedom and democratization of University administration leadership to avoid opportunistic liberal capitalists from taken over Higher Education.