Nigerian Government Inaugurates Committee on 2009 Agreement with University Unions

The Nigerian Government has inaugurated a new seven-man committee to renegotiate the 2009 agreements with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other University-based unions such as NAAT, SSANU, and NASU to resolve pending issues and stop incessant strike actions.

Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, inaugurated the committee in Abuja, the nation’s capital urging the parties to work based on the reality on the ground so that issues can be resolved for the University system to continue contributing to national development.

 “So let us be realistic and practical. Insisting on previous agreements may prolong issues. We hope that we have an agreement in the shortest possible time,” he said.

He said the committee is being inaugurated because a lot of work was done previously, especially in 2017 and during the Professor Nimi Briggs-led negotiations but was not completed.

He said Advisors have been appointed to assist in providing data and other materials needed for the committee to work effectively.

He said President Bola Tinubu is determined to ensure stability in Tertiary Institutions in the country and has been pushing for the institutions to get what they deserve as he is looking forward to positive resolutions from the negotiations.

The committee’s terms of reference include: liaising and consulting with relevant stakeholders to guide the Federal Government’s position on the draft proposed FGN/University-based Unions Renegotiated Agreements and renegotiate the 2009 Agreement with other university-based unions in realistic and workable terms.

Others are to negotiate and recommend any other issues deemed relevant to reposition the Nigerian universities for global competitiveness and submit proposed draft agreements within three months from the date of inauguration.

The committee, headed by the Pro-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, Dr. Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, included Pro-Chancellor of Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi, Senator Olanrewaju Tejuoso as alternate chairman; Pro-Chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Akure, Senator Prof. Nora Daduut as member.

Others are the Pro-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Ambassador Greg Mbadiwe; the Pro-Chancellor of Federal University of Technology Babura, Prof. Ignatius Onimao; Chairman of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State Universities, Senator Joshua Lidani, and Prof. Ayodeji Omole, alternate chairman of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State Universities.

Chairman of the new Committee Yayale Ahmed appealed to the government and ASUU to engage in the negotiations with sincerity the patriotism.

He urged ASUU and other unions to review and reconsider their demands considering the economic reality in the country.

“The committee is not here to reinvent the wheel. These issues have been on the table since 2009. We want to make progress realistically.

 “We want the federal government to see investment in teachers as an investment for the future rather than mere personnel cost.

 “Government should invest to ensure that our universities are globally competitive.

 “We want ASUU to make a review of the previous agreement considering the reality of the political economy of the nation.

 “I want the Union to take the message home and return with a quality reply. “If the government and the Union are on the same page, implementation will be easy,” he said.

National President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke said the Union is ready to participate in the negotiations.

 “We are ready to participate in the negotiations. Our prayer is that it will not be like the past when we negotiated for two years without concrete results,” he said.

Dominica Nwabufo