Nigerian government moves to avert looming ASUU strike

In a bid to avert the looming strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, the Federal Government has re-established a seven-member renegotiation committee to address the 2009 agreements with university-based unions.

Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, at the committee’s inauguration in Abuja on Monday, gave them a three-month deadline to conclude negotiations.

NAN reports that the committee brings together representatives from ASUU and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU.

Others are Non-Academic Staff of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT.

Mamman stated that President Bola Tinubu’s government aimed to improve the education system and maintain peace on campuses.

He noted that renegotiations began in 2017 but were delayed due to unforeseen circumstances.

He said that the previous committee, led by Prof. Nimi Briggs, produced a draft report covering significant areas.

The minister urged the reconstituted committee to work diligently and produce realistic agreements addressing the challenges facing the Nigerian University System (NUS).

Committee Chairman, Dr Yayale Ahmed, appealed to the government to support universities in achieving global competitiveness and to consider lecturers’ salaries as investments.

ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, thanked the government and expressed hope that the new committee would succeed where previous ones failed.

He emphasised the unions’ readiness to renegotiate, provided the government worked towards a stable academic calendar.