JUST-IN:FG to begin talks with ASUU to avert strike.

The Federal Ministry of Education has set up a 31-man panel to renegotiate the agreement entered into between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

The committee, according to findings by our correspondent, will be inaugurated next Wednesday.

This move by the government is part of plans to avert a potential disruption in the academic calendar of universities, following a fresh strike threat issued by ASUU.

Speaking to Newsmen in Abuja, the Director of Press, FME, Folasade Boriowo, said, “The government has started working, and I am sure that ASUU won’t be embarking on a strike because a number of developments are ongoing. A 31-man renegotiation committee has been formed, and they will be inaugurated next Wednesday.”

Recall that ASUU had issued the Federal Government a 14-day ultimatum to resolve several lingering issues, failing which it would embark on a fresh round of industrial action.

Among other demands, ASUU is seeking the conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement based on the Nimi Briggs Committee’s Draft Agreement of 2021, as well as the release of withheld salaries due to the 2022 strike action.

Additionally, ASUU is demanding the release of unpaid salaries for staff on sabbatical, part-time, and adjunct appointments affected by the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, as well as the payment of outstanding third-party deductions such as check-off dues and cooperative contributions.

The union is also seeking funding for the revitalization of public universities, partly captured in the 2023 Federal Government Budget, and the payment of Earned Academic Allowances, also partly captured in the 2023 Federal Government Budget.

ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, in a statement issued last Wednesday, expressed frustration with the government’s lack of commitment and delay tactics, stating that these actions were fueling a crisis in the public university system.

“In view of the foregoing, ASUU resolves to give the Nigerian Government another 14 days, in addition to the earlier 21 days, beginning from Monday, September 23, 2024, during which all the lingering issues must be concretely addressed to the satisfaction of the membership of the union. The union should not be held responsible for any industrial disharmony that arises from the government’s failure to seize the new opportunity offered by ASUU to nip the looming crisis in the bud,” the ASUU President said.