FG constitutes committee to review position on ASUU strike

Federal Government has set up a committee to review its ‘no work, no pay’ position in negotiations with the striking 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 public universities in the country, Tuesday, in Abuja.

The meeting which was held behind closed doors was part of efforts to resolve the lingering strike by public university teachers in Nigeria.

The government also set up a 14-man committee to look into grey areas of the ASUU demands.

ASUU members commenced their industrial action on February 14, this year.

ASUU is demanding; the Signing of June 2022 agreement; Adoption of UTAS as salary payment platform; N170 billion for NEEDS; N50 billion for arrears; White Papers from visitation panels; Intervention on the Draft Bill; as well as; Payment of salaries since March 2022.

While the other three unions in the public universities circle, including; the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Education Institutions (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), have since suspended their nationwide strike, only ASUU remains.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday,  Mr. Ben Goong, spokesman to the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu listed members of the committee to include: Professor Nimi 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 fine-tune the two payment platforms including the existing IPPIS.

He said that in a few days, the committee would conclude and thereafter meet with President Muhammadu 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 of Nigeria (NOUN), 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.

It would be recalled that while presenting a position paper at the meeting between the Federal Government, Vice-Chancellors and Pro-Chancellors of Nigerian public universities, in Abuja, Tuesday, earlier, the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, disclosed that the Federal Government is considering an upward review of the salary of tertiary institutions’ lecturers to 23.5 per cent, in addition to that of professors, which he said, would also be reviewed by 35 per cent.

“The Federal Government can only afford a 23.5 per cent salary increase for all category of the workforce in federal universities, except for the professorial cadre which will enjoy a 35 per cent upward review.

“Henceforth, allowances that pertain to ad-hoc duties of the academic and non-academic staff shall be paid as at when due by the Governing Councils of universities to which such services are rendered and to the staff who perform them.

“A sum of N150 billion shall be provided for in the 2023 budget as funds for the revitalisation of federal universities, to be disbursed to the institutions in the first quarter of the year.

“Also a sum of N50 billion shall be provided for in the 2023 Budget for the payment of outstanding arrears of earned academic allowances, to be paid in the first quarter of 2023,” the minister said.

Penultimate week, the Federal Government announced the implementation of the UTAS system as payment platform for lecturers’ salaries.

On the ongoing industrial action by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the minister said the four university-based unions, had addressed separate letters to the Chairman of the Government Re-negotiating Team rejecting government’s offer, which, as according to the minister, they described it as inadequate to meet their respective demands.

The minister also disclosed that he met the unions to explain the prevailing economic situation limiting the ability of government to accede to all their demands.

The insistence on the of ‘no-work-no-pay’ rule by Federal Government has stalled negotiations as ASUU wants it rested for academic activities to resume at public universities.

According to Adamu, President Buhari had warned against signing agreements which the government would not be able to meet.