The Nigerian authorities stated Tuesday that it has reconstituted and inaugurated one other committee to ‘speed up ongoing discussions’ with tertiary institutions-based unions, together with ASUU, whose two-week ultimatum ends in six days.
The brand new committee, known as Federal Authorities Tertiary Establishments Expanded Negotiation Committee, is to be headed by Yayale Ahmed, the pro-chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
The Minister of Schooling, Tunji Alausa, stated the committee’s inaugural assembly has been scheduled for Tuesday (at this time) 7 October.
That is contained in a press release by the ministry’s spokesperson, Folasade Boriowo.
The assertion quoted Mr Alausa as urging all educational and non-academic unions to cooperate totally and reply promptly to the committee’s engagements.
The minister stated President Bola Tinubu has given full political backing to the method, with a transparent directive that every one negotiations be concluded swiftly, pretty, and within the spirit of mutual respect.
“President Tinubu’s mandate is that every one our youngsters should be at school. That is renewed hope in motion,” he was quoted as saying.
He additionally appreciated the unions for his or her endurance and dedication as the federal government works towards a ultimate and complete settlement.
The transfer comes as ASUU requested its members to gear up for a strike as its two-week ultimatum nears its finish.
A looming strike
Every week in the past, ASUU issued a two-week ultimatum for the federal government to handle its calls for. On Monday, the union stated there hasn’t been progress seven days into the ultimatum. It, subsequently, requested its members to gear up for a strike.
Nonetheless, the schooling ministry has now stated it’s transferring to make sure the conclusion of renegotiations with ASUU and different staff’ unions based mostly in universities, polytechnics, and schools of schooling.
The ministry’s assertion stated the brand new committee will harmonise all negotiation processes underneath one coordinated framework that displays institutional reminiscence and sector-wide inclusiveness.
New committee
Mr Alausa stated the Yayale-Ahmed expanded committee will have interaction all unions collectively to realize a complete and sustainable settlement.
Mr Alausa disclosed this throughout a gathering with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Dingyadi, and the Minister of State for Schooling, Suwaiba Ahmed, a professor.
“The membership of the committee has been rigorously chosen to symbolize the complete spectrum of the schooling sector, guaranteeing that no group is left behind,” he stated.
Based on Mr Alausa, the committee has been supplied with a well-equipped and useful secretariat to allow it to hold out its mandate successfully.
In his remarks, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mr Dingyadi, emphasised that true and lasting peace can solely be achieved when all stakeholders are concerned, noting that excluding any get together would solely breed division and undermine collective progress.
Talking on behalf of the committee, Mr Ahmed assured that the committee will method its job with openness, inclusiveness, and integrity, listening to all stakeholders, fostering belief, and dealing towards agreements that promote industrial concord and strengthen the nation’s tertiary establishments.
He pledged that the committee won’t solely negotiate but additionally be certain that the suggestions and agreements reached are sensible, sensible, and able to sustaining long-term peace and productiveness inside the schooling sector.
Many committees, little progress
This new committee is at the very least the sixth committee inaugurated by the federal government to renegotiate the 2009 agreements with university-based unions.
Every time, the federal government has did not implement the draft produced by the committees and as a substitute creates yet one more committee.
The 2009 settlement has been the supply of dispute between the federal government and university-based unions. The settlement incorporates the lecturers’ situations of service, funding and autonomy for the schools.
The renegotiation of the 2009 settlement, which was meant to be each few years, has stalled for near a decade.
Earlier than this new committee, Mr Ahmed headed the renegotiation committee inaugurated by the federal government in October 2024 to renegotiate the 2009 settlement with ASUU.
In August, Schooling minister Mr Alausa inaugurated a committee headed by the ministry’s everlasting secretary, Abel Enitan, to look into the draft settlement between ASUU and the Yayale Ahmed renegotiation committee submitted in February.
Earlier than Mr Ahmed, the late Nimi Briggs, an emeritus professor, led the renegotiation committee in 2022 and produced a draft that the federal government by no means signed or carried out.
Earlier than Mr Briggs, it was Munzali Jibrin’s committee of 2021, which additionally produced a draft that was by no means signed.
Earlier than each of them was Wale Babalakin, who headed the committee from 2017 to 2020 when he resigned.
