The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) held a crucial meeting aimed at preventing an impending strike by the union.
The meeting, which took place at the Minister of Education’s office in Abuja, started at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday and concluded at 6:40 p.m.
ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, addressed journalists after the meeting, highlighting the urgency of the discussions given that the current administration has been in office for a year without addressing key issues affecting the university system.
Both parties expressed optimism that the initiation of negotiations would lead to the resolution of all outstanding issues.
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The union had previously threatened to go on strike over various unresolved matters. However, Osodeke mentioned that the negotiation process had begun, and he hoped that the Education Minister, Tahir Mamman, would follow through on the agreements made.
Osodeke disclosed that both parties agreed to form committees to examine the 10 demands ASUU listed in a letter to the Federal Government on Monday. The next review meeting is scheduled for two weeks.
“We have not decided on anything yet, but we only created committees to look into our demands. There are some things they also asked us to do.
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We will be meeting in the next two weeks again,” Osodeke stated. He emphasized the importance of resolving the issues for the benefit of the students and the nation.
Minister Mamman echoed the sentiment of cooperation, stating that consultations would commence immediately to tackle the challenges in the university system. He noted that some issues would require input from other ministries.
ASUU had issued a three-week ultimatum to the Federal Government regarding outstanding demands, which include the renegotiation of the FGN/ASUU Agreement based on the Nimi Briggs Committee’s draft Agreement of 2021, the release of withheld salaries from the 2022 strike, and the resolution of unpaid salaries for staff on various appointments due to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
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Other demands involve the release of third-party deductions, funding for the revitalization of public universities, earned academic allowances, the proliferation of universities by federal and state governments, the implementation of visitation panel reports, and the replacement of IPPIS with the University Transparency and Accountability Solution.
On Tuesday, ASUU members staged nationwide protests, warning of an impending strike if the government fails to act on the agreements signed with the union.