By: Monday Danladi, Bauchi
President Bola Tinubu has been urged to as a matter of urgency, use his good offices to see to the signing and immediate implementation of the Prof Nimi Briggs Committee agreement on the renegotiation of salaries of academic staff of Federal Universities.
The call was made by the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) during a press conference addressed at its Secretariat in the Yelwa campus of the University on Wednesday.
While reading the text of the Conference, Branch Chairperson of ASUU, ATBU, Comrade Ibrahim Inuwa stated that non implementation of the agreement has the implications of denying Academics a wage that is consistent with the current economic reality, continued poor funding of the Universities and the respect for academic freedom.
ASUU lamented that for 15 years now, its members have remained on the same salary system while all efforts for renegotiation have failed thereby making them to remain stagn on the same spot.
The ATBU ASUU Branch explained that the demand for renegotiation pay package with the Federal Government of Nigeria was anchored on the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No. 98 which provides for the principle of collective bargaining.
According to ASUU, “Following the FGN/ASUU 2009 Agreement, it was provided that the agreement would be reviewed every 3 years. However, the Union has been without a renegotiated agreement for the past 15 years.”
It added that, “Consequently, after so many efforts and pressure on government, a renegotiation committee was setup under the chairmanship of Wale Babalakin in 2017. This committee failed to ensure the conclusion of its assignment within the agreed time frame.”
It added that,”Two other committees headed by Prof. Munzali Jibrin and Late Emeritus Prof. Nimi Briggs negotiated and produced draft agreements but the process was truncated at the point of finalising the reviewed agreement. From 2021 till date, the document has remained in a’draft form.”
The Union further lamented that, “The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has over the years, remain concerned over the need for successive governments to give the deserved attention to the development and provision of quality education to the Nigerian citizens.”
According to it,”This position of the Union is consistent with section 18(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. This section states that “government shall direct its policy towards ensuring that there are equal and adequate educational opportunities to the citizens at all levels”.
“The provision of access to quality education not only basic education, but including tertiary education is a matter of national interest and patriotism. This is because, no nation is able to develop to its full potentials where its citizens are poorly educated and their access to education is limited and obstructed by the lackadaisical attitude of the political class. Teachers and lecturers who are responsible for effective teaching and learning, are treated rather shabbily,” It stressed.
ASUU stated that,”We have drawn your attention to the consistent failure of the FGN to honour agreements and fulfil promises bothering on the welfare of our members among other things. We hereby declare that ASUU remains undaunted in this patriotic mission towards the welfare of its members and repositioning the university system for global competitiveness.”
It stressed that,”The struggle for a better, improved and affordable quality education for Nigerians is not that of ASUU alone to fight and achieve while parents, students and teaming youths of this country stand and watch from afar.”
“It is a collective struggle that we all must collaborate to actualize by ensuring that government do the needful. We therefore, call on all patriots in the media, labour movement, student groups and civil society organisations and all other stakeholders to join our resolve to reposition the Nigerian university system for a transformed Nigeria,” It added.
ASUU stressed thst,”We reiterate the fact that the suspension of our strike in 2022 was a patriotic act based on trust for those who intervened. We sincerely hope and wish that our union will not be compelled to resume the strike in the nearest future!”
