Nigerian Government sets up 14-man Committee on Academic Union’s Strike

The Nigerian Government has set up a tactical committee to review its ‘no work, no pay’ position against members of the Academic Staff Union Of Universities, ASUU.

This decision followed a meeting by the Minister Of Education, Adamu Adamu; with Pro-Chancellors, Chairmen of Councils as well as Vice Chancellors of Universities.

The meeting which was held behind closed doors was part of efforts to resolve the over seven-month strike by Lecturers of Public Universities in Nigeria

The government also set up a 14-man committee to look into grey areas of the Academic Staff Union of Universities’ demands.

Members of the Committee

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday,  Mr. Ben Goong, spokesman to the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu listed members of the committee to include: Professor Nimmi Briggs, Chairman, ASUU/FG negotiation team,  Professor Olu Obafemi, Chairman, Governing Council, Federal University, Minna, and Udo Udoma, Former Minister of Budget and National Planning.

Others are Professor  Bashir Dalhatu, an elder statesman, Professor Kabiru Bala, Vice Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Professor Kayode Adebowale, Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, and Lilian Salami, Vice Chancellor, University of Benin.

Also, Professor Duro Oni, President, Academics of letters, Professor Akinsanya Osibogun, President, Academics of Medicine, and the president of Academic of Science make the list.

Also on the list are Professor Charles Igwe, Vice Chancellor, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, JAMB Registrar, and Professor Abubakar Rasheed, Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, NUC.

“After enormous two-hour deliberations, the meeting constituted a committee made up of four Pro-Chancellors, five Vice-chancellors, and others, to be chaired by the Minister to further look at the grey areas ASUU is making particularly the areas where there has been no consensus. 

“As I speak to you, that committee is meeting and they will proceed to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari on the outcome of the deliberations of that committee.

“Two basic areas that the committee will be looking at are the ‘no work no pay’ issue and the issue of remuneration of university lecturers,” he said.

On the demand of ASUU to use the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS, Goong explained that it was not part of the areas under consideration as the government had already set up a committee to finetune the two payment platforms including the existing IPPIS.

He said that in a few days, the committee would conclude and thereafter meet with President Buhari.

When asked if the earlier Nimi Briggs committee would be jettisoned in place of the new committee, Goong said the new committee was in continuation of the Briggs committee.

” The meeting is on the government side. There has been an appeal for the government to take a second look at the ‘no work, no pay’ measure and that is one of the issues that the committee will look at,” he said.

Also, Professor Peter Okebukola, Chairman, Governing Council, National Open Universities, NOU, expressed worry over the shutdown of the universities.

Okebukola promised that the dark cloud would soon clear as lecturers would in no time resume work saying that the committee would conclude in no distant time.

Confidence Okwuchi