Strike: Nigerian govt inaugurates another committee to renegotiate 2009 agreement with ASUU, other unions

The Nigerian government on Tuesday inaugurated another committee to renegotiate the contentious 2009 agreement between it and workers’ unions in the public universities.

The committee was inaugurated by the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, a professor, in Abuja.

The event was witnessed by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, and the Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Chris Maiyaki.

This is the fourth committee handling the renegotiation since 2017, with the government failing to implement each of the renegotiated agreements.

The failure to conclude the renegotiation and implementation of the agreements separately signed with the various unions- Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Academic of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT)— have been a major source of dispute between the unions and the government.

The stalled renegotiation of the agreement is currently threatening industrial peace in the country’s public universities.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that ASUU chapters are already meeting to decide on the next line of action after the second ultimatum issued to the government elapsed on Sunday.

‘Negotiate realistically’

Inaugurating the committee at the education ministry in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) the education minister urged the unions to negotiate in “realistic and workable terms”.

“Why we have these issues is when we insist on agreement which clearly cannot be implemented,” he said.

Mr Mamman also appealed to the committee to conclude negotiations within “three months from the date of inauguration.”

He also asked that the negotiations begin from where the last committee stopped.

History of stalled negotiations

For the universities, the renegotiation had stalled since 2017 and has had three heads of the negotiation process —the new committee being the fourth. Wale Babalakin, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and the then pro-chancellor of the University of Lagos, led the renegotiation team constituted by the government from 2017 until his resignation as pro-chancellor in 2020.

In 2020, Munzali Jibril, an emeritus professor of English and then pro-chancellor for the Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State, took over. With him, the negotiation fared relatively smoothly as his committee turned in a draft agreement in three months —May 2021. But the government never signed or implemented the agreement.

When the union embarked on another nationwide strike in 2022, the government constituted yet another committee –this time headed by the late Nimi Briggs, also an emeritus professor. Mr Briggs-led committee also renegotiated the 2009 agreement and submitted a draft to the government in June 2022. It was never signed, forcing the 2022 strike action to last until October when an Industrial Court asked the union to suspend the strike after a suit was instituted against the union by the federal government.

New committee

The newly inaugurated committee with seven members from the government side is to be chaired by Yayale Ahmed, the Pro-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Other members from the government side are; Olanrewaju Tejuoso, and Joshua Lidani, both former senators; Nora Daduut, Ignatius Onimao, Ayodeji Omole, all professors; and Greg Mbadiwe.

ASUU has 24 members in the committee including the union’s president and vice president, Emmanuel Osodeke, and Christopher Piwuna, both professors.

SSANU has five members including its president, Mohammed Ibrahim, and Vice President, Abdussobur Salaam.

Meanwhile, NASU and NAAT have eight members each including the National President of the unions Maliki Hassan, and Ibeji Nwokoma, respectively.

Terms of Reference

The minister listed the terms of reference for the committee to liaise and consult with relevant stakeholders to guide the position of the Federal Government on the issues in the draft proposed FGN/University-based Unions Renegotiated Agreements, and renegotiate in realistic and workable terms the 2009 Agreement with other University-based unions.

READ ALSO: Strike looms as ASUU members meet across campuses

The terms alo include the charge to negotiate and recommend any other issue the committee deems relevant to reposition the Nigerian university system (NUS) for global competitiveness, and submit proposed draft agreements within three (3) months from the date of inauguration.