The Federal Government is stepping up efforts to avert a looming shutdown of tertiary institutions across the country, following strike notices issued by key academic and non-academic unions over unresolved demands.
Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, on Sunday appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) to suspend their planned industrial actions, assuring that government is actively engaging them through ongoing negotiations.
Dr. Alausa, who spoke with The Nation on Sunday, emphasised the importance of dialogue and patience, assuring that the Tinubu-led administration is committed to resolving all outstanding issues in a holistic and coordinated manner.
“I have met with them and assured them that the government is working to meet their commitment,” he said. “They have given us proposals and we are working to put the Federal Government’s responses back. Whatever we do, we have to do it holistically in a way that will accommodate the interest of ASUU, ASUP and COEASU.”
ASUP, on August 14, issued a 21-day strike notice following its National Executive Council meeting in Abuja. The ultimatum expired on Sunday night. SSANIP also issued a separate 21-day notice on August 27 at its 77th General Executive Council meeting in Kano. ASUU, for its part, staged a nationwide protest on August 26 to draw attention to its longstanding demands.
ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, said the union’s branch chairmen had already met and would soon communicate the outcome of their deliberations to members. He noted that a decision would be taken after consultations, and the union would make its position known to Nigerians.
ASUP President, Shammah Kpanja, confirmed that the union leadership had met with Federal Government representatives and said five meetings had been scheduled to address the issues.
“The union leadership has met with Federal Government representatives to iron out the issues,” he said. “Five meetings have been scheduled with government officials, adding that the outcome of the meetings would determine the next line of action.”
Dr. Alausa explained that the administration is determined to move away from fragmented negotiations, which he said had failed in the past, towards a unified and sustainable framework.
“Things have been done in a disjointed manner before with parallel negotiations, but they are all in the academic sector. They all asked for the same thing. They asked for NEEDS Assessment, condition of service, 2025 wage balance, it is all the same. We have to be sure that we are talking to everybody together,” he said.
The minister also disclosed that the Yayale Ahmed Committee had been expanded to include all the relevant unions in the tertiary education sector to streamline the negotiation process.
“We will deal with this in a way that has not been done before in a holistic manner to accommodate people in our tertiary institutions. We will try as much as possible to meet what they want. We know they need more money but there is so much money that government has to give. We also have other competing needs but we will do everything with all honesty, all truthfulness and with mutual respect to everybody. These things take time and we are trying to work as fast as possible but it has to be something that government can afford,” he said.
Dr. Alausa insisted that the Federal Government would not sign any agreement it cannot implement and warned against hasty arrangements aimed solely at averting industrial action.
“Everybody knows President Bola Tinubu. When he makes promises, he fulfills them. We are not a government that, for the sake of averting strike, give bogus agreement to these unions,” he said.
He added, “The president has given me a mandate and that is what I will do in a way that we are all truthful and we get to the bottom of it once and for all.”
The minister reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to keeping students in school and ensuring stability in the education sector.
“Mr president has said he wants our children to be in school. I want our children to be in school. The academic and non academic unions I believe are on the same page to keep our children in school,” he said.
“These are problems that have gone on for at least 16 years. We have met a lot of the low hanging things we could meet. I have done that. This condition of service we are working along with it and we are keeping all the various unions updated on what the government is doing.”
“This is a government that believes in communication and we are communicating with them. There is no reason for any strike to happen because government is working and I am meeting with the unions. They have easy access to me. Since I became a minister, I have met with academic unions more than any group,” he said.
“They should give us time to get this problem resolved once and for all. I do not want whoever that is going to come after us many years from now to face this same problem. We have to resolve it once and for all and that is what we are determined to do. We cannot rush these things.”
ASUU’s demands include the conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN ASUU Agreement using the Nimi Briggs Committee’s 2021 draft as the basis, the release of three and a half months of withheld salaries over the 2022 strike, and the payment of outstanding salaries for staff on sabbatical, part time and adjunct appointments. The union is also demanding the release of outstanding third party deductions such as cooperative contributions and check off dues, revitalisation funding for public universities, and an end to the proliferation of universities by federal and state governments.
ASUP is pushing for the release of a circular by the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission to cover peculiar academic allowances, the payment of arrears from the 25 and 35 percent salary reviews, and implementation of same in state-owned polytechnics. It is also demanding action on delayed dual mandate approvals for polytechnics, release of the second round of NEEDS Assessment intervention, reversal of the policy outsourcing quality assurance activities in polytechnics, and implementation of the Federal Ministry of Education’s roadmap including the creation of a dedicated commission for the sector.
Other demands include the payment of promotion arrears, full implementation of the ASUP FGN 2010 agreement, an end to the discrimination against HND holders, domestication of key portions of the Federal Polytechnics Act in state institutions, release of CONTISS 15 arrears, and proper recognition of ASUP in institutions such as Federal Polytechnic Nekede.
SSANIP is demanding the release of new schemes and conditions of service, constitution of a renegotiation committee for the 2010 agreement, release of 2023, 2024 and 2025 NEEDS Assessment funds, payment of outstanding promotion arrears, full implementation of the 25 and 35 percent salary reviews, payment of wage awards, and enforcement of the new national minimum wage.
As government continues its consultations with the various unions, all eyes are on the outcome of the meetings in the coming days to determine whether another disruption looms in Nigeria’s already fragile tertiary education sector.
