The Nigerian Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have reached a consensus to resolve their contentious issues amicably, averting a potential strike.
Jerrymusa.com reports that after a two-hour closed-door meeting at the Ministry of Education in Abuja, both parties agreed to establish a communication channel to address the union’s grievances.
“We have started the process, and our prayer is that we resolve it for the interest of our young men and the interest of the nation,” said ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke. He expressed optimism that the government would follow through on their agreements, while Education Minister, Prof.
Addressing Nigeria’s Educational System
Tahir Mamman, confirmed that consultations would continue to address the inherited and ongoing issues plaguing Nigeria’s education system.
The meeting, which began at 4:30 pm, was attended by the two Ministers of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman and Dr. Yusuf Sununu, as well as other top officials from the ministry. “We’ve had a very good meeting, and a very productive one,” Mamman said.
“We’ve discussed progress on how to ensure that the system works well, and lots of the issues we talked about are those that we inherited and some ongoing.”
The ASUU team, led by Prof. Osodeke, engaged in discussions on all the outstanding issues, assigning tasks to relevant individuals to explore solutions.
While the union’s two-week ultimatum remains in place, Osodeke acknowledged that the negotiation process has commenced, and they hope the government will act in good faith. “What is important is that we have started the process,” he emphasized.
Mamman emphasized the importance of continued consultations to overcome the challenges facing Nigeria’s education sector.
“A lot of consultations will continue on some information we don’t have, which is beyond the scope of the ministry and which will require us to connect with our colleagues in other ministries,” he explained.
“But the most important thing is that we had a very good meeting, and agreed to continue with the consultations to overcome the problems bedeviling education in Nigeria.”
The union’s demands include removal from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), renegotiation of the 2009 Federal Government/ASUU Agreement, payment of outstanding Earned Academic Allowance, and settlement of all outstanding salaries.
With this agreement, both parties aim to resolve their differences and work towards a harmonious relationship that benefits Nigeria’s education system.