The Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions has strongly condemned the inauguration of the renegotiation committee set up by the Federal Government.
The committee inaugurated on Tuesday in Abuja, is tasked with renegotiating the 2009 agreements between the government and university-based unions.
In a joint statement signed by SSANU President, Muhammed Ibrahim, and NASU counterpart, Peters Adeyemi, the unions described the event as a “charade,” accusing the government of prioritising the Academic Staff Union of Universities while sidelining other unions.
The Federal Government had reconstituted the renegotiation committee, giving it a three-month timeline to conclude its task.
However, SSANU and NASU expressed dissatisfaction, stating that the inauguration appeared skewed in favour of ASUU.
“The entire inauguration seemed to revolve around ASUU, with the other unions treated as an afterthought,
“The Honourable Minister of Education’s speech focused almost exclusively on ASUU, while the other unions were barely mentioned,” ” the statement read.
This marks the fourth renegotiation committee set up by the government since 2017, with previous ones led by Wale Babalakin (2017), Munzali Jubril (2020), and Nimi Briggs (2022).
In 2020, ASUU embarked on a nine-month strike, which led to the formation of the Jubril committee. Recommendations from that committee formed the basis of a draft agreement in 2021. In 2022, the Nimi Briggs committee submitted a further draft, though negotiations have yet to yield lasting results.
The unions highlighted their frustration with the perceived bias during the Tuesday inauguration. According to them, the President of ASUU was given a prominent role at the event, while the leaders of other unions were relegated to lesser positions.
“The President of ASUU was seated at the so-called ‘Responsibility table’ while NASU and SSANU leaders were left as mere spectators, a clear indication of the imbalance in the process,” the statement added.
SSANU and NASU expressed fears that the renegotiation would unfairly favour academic staff at the expense of non-teaching personnel.
In response to what they described as a “humiliating” experience, the unions called out the Federal Government for its perceived bias.
“The President of ASUU was allowed to speak on behalf of all unions without prior consultation, further proving that the views of other unions are being disregarded,” it further added.
Concluding, the unions condemned the process, expressing serious concerns over potential partiality in the upcoming negotiations.
“We reject the charade that took place in the name of an inauguration, as it signals a clear bias toward academic staff and undermines the rights of non-teaching workers,” the statement concluded.
Credit: The PUNCH
