In a decisive move to prevent a looming strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Nigerian government has re-established a seven-member renegotiation committee. This committee is tasked with addressing the 2009 agreements with university-based unions, including ASUU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
During the committee’s inauguration, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, emphasized the government’s commitment to improving the education system and maintaining peace on campuses. “President Bola Tinubu’s government aims to improve the education system and maintain peace on campuses,” Mamman stated. He also highlighted that the renegotiations, which began in 2017, were delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. “The previous committee, led by Prof. Nimi Briggs, produced a draft report covering significant areas,” he added .
The reconstituted committee is expected to work diligently to produce realistic agreements that address 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. “We need to support our universities to achieve global competitiveness and consider lecturers’ salaries as investments,” Ahmed urged .
ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, expressed hope that the new committee would succeed where previous ones failed. “We are ready to renegotiate, provided the government works towards a stable academic calendar,” Osodeke said. He thanked the government for re-establishing the committee and emphasized the unions’ readiness to engage in meaningful negotiations.
