…ask unions to shelve nationwide strike
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The federal government has promised to address all the outstanding demands with all university-based labour unions, notably, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), thus appealing to the unions to shelve the planned nationwide strike.
ASUU and other unions have begun the full mobilisation of its members in preparation for a possible nationwide warning strike ahead of its 14-day ultimatum, which is set to expire on Sunday this week.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, told journalists at a press conference in Abuja, on Wednesday, that the government has commenced serious actions on their demands, and would soon arrive at a realistic document that would be mutually beneficial to all parties.
He made reference to the recently reconstituted and inaugurated expanded renegotiation committee led by Yayale Ahmed, which, he said, has been mandated to fast-track talks with both academic and non-academic unions in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
He said: “In the past, we had three different committees working on the needs of the institutions. One was 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.
“The President has mandated us to do everything humanly possible to avoid strike in the institutions. 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. These issues have dragged on for over 10 to 15 years, but this administration is determined to resolve them once and for all.
“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.
“We are finalising the components of the condition of service that ASUU had 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.
“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.”
The Minister urged ASUU and other labour unions in the tertiary institutions to embrace dialogue as a first option rather than resorting to industrial action.
“We know you have been patient, but please don’t use strike as your first resort. These are issues that have lingered for decades. The president has shown genuine political will and benevolence towards education. We will resolve this matter comprehensively, respectfully, and in a way the government can afford,” he said.
Dr. Alausa highlighted several steps already taken by the government to demonstrate commitment, including the release of N50bn for earned academic allowances and the provision of N150bn in the 2025 budget for the revitalisation of tertiary institutions.
He assured that discussions on the new conditions of service would soon be concluded, noting that this was the final component of the ongoing negotiation process.
