ASUU urges FG to implement 2009 agreement with union

By AmforGod J. Olisa

In a bid to prevent potential industrial actions across Nigeria’s public universities, the Sokoto State chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has urged the federal government to implement the 2009 agreement reached with the union. In a statement issued on Sunday and jointly signed by Muhammad Nurudeen Almustapha, Chairman of the Union at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, and Saidu Isah Abubakar, Chairman of Sokoto State University, ASUU called for the immediate implementation of the Nimi Briggs Committee report.

The statement emphasized that the report, submitted to the federal government in 2022 after extensive negotiations, followed the legally approved method of collective bargaining as outlined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No. 98. Despite surpassing previous delays by the federal government, the union noted that the government unilaterally decided on a 25 to 35 percent salary increase, ignoring the collective bargaining process.

ASUU urged the President Tinubu-led administration to sign the Nimi Briggs renegotiated draft document to restore hope for Nigeria’s public universities. The union stressed that its members are pushed to the brink and only concrete steps to restore their morale and improve their conditions will ensure lasting peace on campuses.

Regarding withheld salaries, ASUU reminded that the 2022 strike was suspended following interventions from notable figures, including the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, and the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, now Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila. Despite these interventions, the union highlighted that only four out of the seven and a half months of withheld salaries have been paid.

The union called on the federal government to urgently settle all outstanding salaries of university lecturers across the country, pointing out that several meetings had promised to address ASUU’s demands and release the withheld salaries. The value of the unpaid salaries has significantly diminished due to the naira’s devaluation over the past year, further exacerbating the lecturers’ plight.

ASUU reiterated its call for the federal and state governments to urgently address all outstanding salaries, emphasizing that the government has no justification for withholding payment for work that has already been completed.