Varsity workers for Nigeria, especially those under the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions (NASU), don slam the Federal Government over the new negotiation committee wey dem set up to renegotiate the 2009 agreements between the government and university-based unions.
The Joint Action Committee of SSANU and NASU condemn the inauguration of the renegotiation committee, say the event be charade and dey favour Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) alone. Dem claim say the Honourable Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, inauguration speech focus almost entirely on ASUU, with only brief mentions of other unions.
Dem also talk say the President of ASUU alone get the chance to give response on behalf of all unions without any consultation with other unions. This make dem feel say the opinions and experiences of NASU and SSANU no dey matter in the renegotiation process. The leaders of NASU and SSANU describe the experience as humiliating, say dem only invite dem as spectators to give legitimacy to an already concluded renegotiation exercise.
The Federal Government set up this new committee, led by Yayale Ahmed, with a three-month timeline to conclude their task. But SSANU and NASU express serious concerns over potential partiality in the upcoming negotiations, say the process dey skewed in favour of ASUU. Dis be the fourth renegotiation committee since 2017, after those led by Wale Babalakin in 2017, Munzali Jubril in 2020, and Nimi Briggs in 2022.
Additionally, the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) demand inclusion in the renegotiation committee, say dem feel sidelined and ignored in the process. Dem write letter to the Minister of Education, asking for invitation to be part of the negotiations.
