BY TEMI OHAKWE, ABUJA
The Federal Government has reconstituted a team to renegotiate the 2009 agreement it had with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, who announced the reconstitution of the panel, said there is need to speedily bring to conclusion all outstanding issues in the 2009 agreement in order to achieve the desired industrial peace on universities campuses.
He said the Chairman and members of the reconstituted 2009 FGN/University-Based Unions Agreements Re-negotiation Team include; Prof. Emeritus Nimi Briggs-(Pro-Chancellor, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo) – Chairman with Mr. Lawrence Patrick Ngbale – (Pro-Chancellor, Federal University, Wukari –as member (North East), Prof Funmi Togunu-Bickersteth-(Pro-Chancellor, Federal University, Birnin Kebbi) – (South West) and Senator Chris Adighije – (Pro-Chancellor, Federal University, Lokoja – (South East).
Others include Prof. Olu Obafemi – (Pro-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Minna) – North-Central, Prof. Zubairu Iliyasu-(Pro-Chancellor, Kano State University of Science & Technology)- North West and Mr. Matthew B. Seiyefa, (Pro-Chancellor, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island)- South-South
The team is expected to be inaugurated on March 7, 2022 by the Minister of Education.
All advisers and observers in the Federal Government/University based Unions 2009 agreements Re-negotiation Team are expected to attend the inauguration.
In the meantime, voting is underway among members of the ASUU on the federal government’s proposal to the Union in its last meeting with the Union on Tuesday evening.
First vote from the Bayero University Kano BUK chapter of ASUU insists that the proposal from the Federal government are not convincing enough thus, the Union should progress to the total strike until the “government takes the demands of the striking lecturers more seriously”.
ASUU however said that more votes are still being expected.
