Babalakin committee: We’re ready for renegotiation –ASUU President

From Fred Ezeh, Abuja

President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi has assured the Federal Government that the union is ready for the renegotiation of the 2009 Federal Government/ASUU agreement that bordered on funding of the universities and condition of service of lectures, particularly, as it concerns salary structure, staff loans, pension, overtime, and moderation of examinations.

“We have waited for long for ASUU and federal government to come to negotiation table to discuss and review the content of the 2009 agreement which was long overdue for review. The issue was at the center of our one week warning strike in November, 2016,” Ogunyemi told Daily Sun.

“However, our team is ready to do the necessary things that would guarantee the success of the renegotiation, but that would be as soon as we receive the official communication from the federal government in that regard,” he added. The reassurance was in response to a 16-man committee constituted by the federal government last week to renegotiate the contents of the FG/ASUU 2009 agreement.

Ogunyemi, however, lauded the development and commended the federal government for the renegotiation committee “made up of men and women of integrity and proven track record.”
He, thus, passed a vote of confidence on the team and appealed to the federal government to show sincerity and commitment to resolving the pending issues.

In 2009, federal government and ASUU entered into an agreement to amicably resolve industrial issues that bordered on condition of service of lectures and funding of universities.

As at the last warning strike the federal government was owing public universities N800 billion. The agreement also touched on institutional autonomy and compliance with the UNESCO benchmark of allocating, at least, 26 percent of annual budget to education, with half of it allocated to universities and several other issues, including the ones that require legislation.

But Daily Sun learnt that lack of political will or insincerity had resulted in one of the parties not complying with the agreement, thus, resulting in periodic industrial unrest in the system which experts warned would have negative effect on students.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, in a statement, over the weekend, announced that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved that Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN) should lead the federal government renegotiation team.

The statement, however, listed members of the team to include; Prof. M.M. Jibril, Pro-Chancellor, Federal University, Lafia; Prof. Nimi Briggs, Pro-Chancellor, Federal University, Lokoja; Senator Gbemisola Saraki, Pro-Chancellor, Federal University, Otuoke; Arc. Lawrence Ngbale, Pro-Chancellor, Federal University, Birnin Kebbi.

Others are; Prince Alex Mbata, Pro-Chancellor, Imo State University, Owerri; Prof. Olufemi Bamiro, Pro-Chancellor, Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun; representatives from Federal Ministry of Education; representative from Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and representative from Federal Ministry of Finance.

A representative each from Federal Ministries of Justice, Budget and National Planning, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) and a representative from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) also made the list.