The Federal Government of Nigeria has commenced negotiations with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as part of efforts to avert a proposed strike by the union.
At the end of the closed-door meeting at the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja, Professor Tahir Mamman, the Minister of Education, expressed optimism about the amicable resolution of all issues raised.
Prof. Emmanuel Osodoke, the President of ASUU, stated that the union can prevent the proposed strike by matching words with action.
Last week, the ASUU Gashua branch in Yobe State asked the Federal Government to address the lingering issues affecting universities in order to avoid another disruption of academic activities on campus.
The chairman of the branch, Melemi Abatcha, during a press briefing at Damaturu, the state capital, on Thursday, the branch chairman, Melemi Abatcha, outlined funding for the revitalization of Nigerian public universities and the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement as the major issues plaguing the educational sector.
“Funding for the revitalization of Nigerian public universities, i.e., improved infrastructure, conducive teaching and learning environments, student and staff accommodation, and equipping of laboratories and libraries.Consequently, the academic staff of Nigerian universities has remained on the same salary structure since 2009.
“Even with the directive of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the removal of ASUU from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) platform since December 2023 until now, ASUU members are still being paid via the obnoxious platform (IPPIS),” he said in a statement.
Among other issues highlighted are university autonomy, the proliferation of public universities, the backlog of earning academic allowances amounting to N50bn, and the withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries of its members across the country.
In an attempt to forestall an industrial action by ASUU, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) appealed to President Bola Tinubu to urgently address the pending issue with the Academic Staff Union of Universities before it snowballs into another major crisis.
Chris Iziguso, NUJ president, issued a 17-paragraph communiqué stating its demands and recommendations.
The union noted that it was important for the government to look into the recommendation of joint labour on the issue of the minimum wage and also address the agitations of ASUU to avoid another crisis in the academic sector.
