The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has condemned President Muhammadu Buhari’s “enough is enough” retort, telling him to meet with the Nimi Briggs-led committee on negotiation.
“I do not understand why Mr President said that ‘enough is enough,’ when we are not the one delaying the students at home. The federal government had sent its team to negotiate with us and we have finished,” ASUU president, Emmanuel Osekede, said on Tuesday.
He added, “Instead of coming back to us to tell us the outcome of the meeting, we are hearing this. If you set up a committee to negotiate on your behalf, and the committee has finished and they have brought the information to you to sign and then you said ‘enough is enough’; what does this mean?”
The committee, set up by Mr Buhari’s regime on June 7, is to renegotiate the 2009 agreement with ASUU and submit its report to the education minister Adamu Adamu in three months.
Mr Buhari had during the holidays in a statement issued by his media aide Garba Shehu, said, “Truly, enough is enough for keeping students at home.”
The ASUU leader urged Mr Buhari to meet the negotiation teams and sign the report. The Briggs-led committee is expected to review the draft proposed agreement and consult with relevant stakeholders to finalise the issue.
It is also to renegotiate the 2009 agreements with other university-based unions; negotiate and recommend any other issue the committee deems relevant to reposition the NUC and submit proposed draft agreements within three months from the date of inauguration.
ASUU, among other unions in the education sector began ongoing strike on February 14, after the federal government failed to meet some of its demands including, the release of revitalisation funds for universities, renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, release of earned allowances for university lecturers, and deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution.
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and other Allied Institutions (NASU) have also requested the adoption of the University Peculiar Payroll Payment System (U3PS).
The committee is chaired by Mr Briggs, the pro-chancellor of the Alex Ekweme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi.
Other members are pro-chancellor of the Federal University, Wukari, Lawrence Patrick Ngbale, representing the North-East; pro-chancellor of the Federal University, Birnin Kebbi, Funmi Togunu-Bickersteth, representing the South-West and pro-chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, Chris Adighije, representing the South-East.
Also on the team are pro-chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Olu Obafemi from the North-Central; pro-chancellor of the Kano State University of Science & Technology, Zubairu Iliyasu, representing the North-West; and pro-chancellor of the Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Mathew Seiyefa from the South-South.
(NAN)
