The Federal Government has set up a tactical committee to review its ‘no work, no pay’ stance against striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU.
This followed a meeting by the Minister Of Education, Adamu Adamu; with Pro-Chancellors, Chairmen of Councils as well as Vice Chancellors of universities.
The meeting held behind closed-doors was part of efforts to resolve the seven-month industrial action by lecturers of public universities.
BASIC FACTS
- The FG held a close door meeting with Pro-Chancellors, Chairmen of councils and Vice Chancellors.
- The FG following the meeting is reviewing it’s no work no pay position.
- The FG has set up a 14 man committee to review the policy which had been a major reason for the recent extension of the strike.
WHAT WE KNOW
The Federal Government on Tuesday held a meeting with key stakeholders in the universities in a bid to resolve the now almost seven months strike embarked upon by ASUU.
Following the meeting, the FG looks set to backtrack on it’s initial hard stand of “no work no pay.”
Following the meeting, the FG is setting up a 14 man committee to look into the position and report back.
The Director Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Goong, disclosed this to journalists after the meeting, which lasted for over two hours.
Ben Goong, said the committee is to also look into issues of increase in the salaries of the university lecturers and come up with workable solutions.
The spokesman for the ministry did not give a specific timeline for the 14-man committee. He, however, said the committee is expected to come up with its findings in no distant time.
He said the committee’s report will be forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari for action.
On how the committee’s work will affect the Professor Nimi Briggs committee, or if it has jettisoned the recommendations of the Professor Nimi Briggs-led committee earlier set up by the federal government, Mr. Goong simply said no.
COMMENTARY
Recall that Nigerian Universities have been closed for nearly seven months now. This is a result of the strike embarked upon by ASUU last February, which has now been extended severally.
The ASUU strike was followed by NASU and SSANU strikes, which lasted for five months. Though the two unions, last August suspended their strike for two months, Clariform can authoritatively report that members of the union are yet to be paid the salaries and other sums agreed upon.
Last August, the FG and ASUU had a meeting after which the Minister of Education insisted that the government won’t pay the striking lecturers six months salary during which the strike lasted as at then.
The hardline posture of the federal government immediately stalled every hope of the strike action been called off. The next meeting by the ASUU executive body in reaction further extended the strike indefinitely.
Seven months of strike and closure of the universities is an embarrassment to the Mohammed Buhari’s government.
How could the government and ministers not resolve this? It’s even more pathetic that nothing new is on the table. All ASUU is asking for is the implementation of an agreement government willingly entered into, or renegotiation of same.
The continuation of this strike, the nonpayment of SSANU and NASU even though their own strike is already suspended, exposes the government as having poor appreciation of the importance of education.
