Jack Acheme, Abuja
The Nigerian Government has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to shelve its planned strike, stating that it is looking into the union’s proposal, aimed at addressing all outstanding demands.
The Minister of Education, Maruf Olatunji Alausa, made the plea in Abuja on Wednesday during a media briefing on the progress of ongoing negotiations between the Federal Government and the university unions.
READ ALSO: Education Minister Clarifies Status of Nigerian Government-ASUU Agreement
He said that as a major step, the government has reconstituted and inaugurated the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed-led Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee to fast-track talks with both academic and non-academic unions in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
“We are finalising the components of the condition of service that ASUU has proposed. Our counterpart committee is also working to conclude its response, and hopefully, by the end of today or tomorrow, the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed Committee will present the Federal Government’s counter-offer to ASUU,” he said.
Recall that ASUU had given a 14-day ultimatum, which will expire on Sunday this week.
According to him, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed that all efforts must be made to avoid another disruption to academic activities in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
“The President has mandated us to do everything humanly possible to avoid a strike. People at the highest level of government have been working several hours behind the scenes to come up with a robust but affordable response to the unions’ demands,” Alausa disclosed.
The Minister called on ASUU and other unions to embrace dialogue as a first option rather than resorting to strike action, stressing that the government recognises their patience.
“We know you have been patient, but please don’t use strike as your first resort. These are issues that have lingered for decades. President Tinubu has shown genuine political will and benevolence towards education. We will resolve this matter comprehensively, respectfully, and in a way the government can afford,” the Minister stated.
He said the ASUU demands have lingered for over 10 to 15 years, but the President Tinubu-led administration is determined to resolve them once and for all for seamless academic activities on campuses.
The Minister explained that the government had now adopted a unified approach to ensure efficiency and coherence in the negotiation process for tertiary institutions, as against earlier fragmented methods.
“In the past, we had three different committees working — one for universities, one for polytechnics, and one for colleges of education. But that was not an efficient way to negotiate. Now, we have one expanded negotiating committee that engages all tertiary institutions and all unions, both academic and non-academic, to ensure a holistic understanding of their needs.”
Alausa noted that about 80 per cent of the unions’ requests are similar across the tertiary subsectors, while the remaining 20 per cent relate to peculiar career and institutional needs.
“We have seen all the requests, and we understand their peculiarities. The new committee has started work already and will continue to engage the unions expeditiously to reach a mutually beneficial agreement,” he explained.
He highlighted several steps already taken by the government to demonstrate commitment, including the release of N50 billion for earned academic allowances and the provision of N150 billion in the 2025 budget for the revitalisation of tertiary institutions.
“The President has kept his promises. We have addressed promotional arrears, and the issues of wage awards and allowances have been resolved. By next year, all arrears will be fully cleared, including the 2025 wage award. The government is sincere and committed,” he promised.
The Minister added that discussions on the new conditions of service for the Union would soon be concluded, noting that this was the final component of the ongoing negotiation process.
PIAK