ASUU to meet FG’s committee next week over 2009 agreement

…as SSANU, NASU set to revisit withheld salaries, other issues

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has disclosed that the union will be meeting with the federal government’s reconstituted committee on the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement next week to find a solution to the impasse.

Emmanuel Osodeke, the national president of ASUU disclosed this over the weekend though he did not give the exact date of the proposed meeting, he affirmed that the committee has not been dissolved and that the union would be meeting with the committee members next week to discuss on the agreements.

“The committee hasn’t been dismantled, we are meeting next week to fully deliberate on matters regarding the agreements. We hope something good will come out of it,” Osodeke said.

The federal government had in October announced the reconstitution of a committee to renegotiate the 2009 agreements between the government and various public university unions. The committee was given a three-month time frame to resolve the issue.

Recall the lecturers went on industrial action in 2020 that lasted for nine months.

ASUU called off the strike in December 2020, with the inauguration of the Munzali Jubril committee by the federal government. The Munzali committee in 2021, working with ASUU came up with recommendations in a draft agreement.

However, the Nimi Briggs committee in 2022 submitted a draft agreement to the federal government as a product of collective bargaining.

But in the face of ASUU’s recent demand, Mamman Tahir, the immediate former minister of education announced another committee.

“In the composition of this important committee, we have the chairman and members of this committee, who are exceptionally experienced in both university and other matters.

There are officials appointed from other relevant ministries, departments and agencies to serve as advisers or observers on the committee will bring in peculiar information and make the work transparent,” the minister said.

Meanwhile, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has revealed it would meet next week to revisit issues of withheld salaries, wage awards and N50 billion earned allowance yet to be released by the federal government.

Mohammed Ibrahim, the president of SSANU explained while briefing journalists in Abuja that the revisiting of some of the outstanding issues will take place on Wednesday, November 13 at the association’s third quadrennial National Delegates Conference (NDC) with the theme, “Respecting Collective Bargaining Agreement and Industrial Peace in a Democracy.”

The SSANU president said the conference would offer a unique opportunity for the association to reaffirm its commitment to advancing the Nigerian university system.

“Specifically, we are revisiting the matters of the outstanding three months’ withheld salaries, the N50 billion in earned allowances, arrears of the 25/35 per cent increment, and the wage award,” Ibrahim said.

In addition, Ibrahim  said; “The upcoming National Delegates Conference will also mark the commencement of SSANU’s electoral process, wherein new leadership will be elected to steward the affairs of this great association over the next four years.”