The Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities in Nigeria COPSUN, has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU, to reconsider its position on the planned strike and allow more opportunities for dialogue and negotiation.
The Committee made the appeal in a communique issued at the end of its 54th Quarterly meeting of Pro-Chancellors of State Owned Universities in Nigeria, held in Abuja.
According to COPSUN, it has set up a high-powered committee to interface and mediate in the matter for the growth and development of tertiary education in Nigeria.
“As part of its efforts to promote national dialogue, peace and reconciliation on the lingering crisis between the Federal Government and ASUU, COPSUN has set up a high-powered committee to interface and mediate in the matter for the growth and development of tertiary education in Nigeria”
The Pro-Chancellors expressed concern at the Academic Staff Union of Universities’ threat of a new nation-wide strike even when the nation has hardly recovered from the previous nine months work-to-rule it ended late last year.
Reiterating its long-standing position that strike should not be seen as the only weapon of negotiation with governments, the Pro-Chancellors states that a fresh strike is not a good omen for the future of tertiary education in Nigeria.
“While the crave for reforms in the education sector is healthy and should persist, negotiations with the Federal Government on policy implementation is encouraged but the penchant to proceed on the total shut down of the university system at the slightest provocation is ill-advised and quite insensitive to the plight of the students and their sponsors who will have to bear the brunt”
The committee further called on the staff unions to avoid the tendency of regarding the country as operating a unitary system, rather than a federal system.
COPSUN argued that each state university should have the liberty to negotiate and engage its employees on its own terms and conditions.
“It therefore appealed that its representatives during negotiations with labour be accorded authoritative mandate and not as mere observers”.
The Pro-Chancellors appealed to the Nigerian Governors’ Forum to collaborate with the Federal Government, the National Assembly and other stakeholders to institute the process for the amendment and removal of labour and wages matters from the Exclusive Legislative list of the Constitution (as amended) to the Concurrent List
According to Committee, this will enable State-Owned universities operate and relate with their employees under the rules establishing the universities and not under the rules of the Federal Government-owned universities as is presently the case.
The Committee however urged the Federal Government to intensify its war against terrorism and banditry beyond the battle field.
“No matter the efforts being put in place, there could be no meaningful development in education system as long as the schools consistently remain the target of attack by terrorists”.
The quarterly meeting of COPSUN was chaired by Yusuf Ali, SAN, the Chairman, and Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities in Nigeria.
Dominica Nwabufo
