As part of a measure to curtail possible industrial actions across Nigeria’s public universities, the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU), Sokoto State chapter, has called on the federal government to as a matter of importance implement the 2009 agreement reached with the union.
In a statement issued on Sunday and jointly signed by the Chairman of the Union at Usmanu Danfodiyo University and that of Sokoto State University, Muhammad Nurudeen Almustapha and Saidu Isah Abubakar, respectively, the union called for immediate implementation of the Nimi Briggs Committee.
According to the statement, “Report, which was submitted to the FG since 2022 after series of negotiations under the legally approved method of collective bargaining and principles.
“As enshrined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No. 98.
“The negotiation surpassed all the delay tactics of the FGN in the last 15 years. After failing to honor the recommendations of three consecutive committees, the Federal government unilaterally awarded a paltry 25 and 35 % increase of salary without recourse to the laid down process of collective bargaining.
“ASUU now calls on the President Tinubu-led administration to immediately sign the Nimi Briggs renegotiated draft document as a sign of goodwill and assured hope for Nigeria’s public universities.
“By this, it is to note that ASUU members are now pushed to the wall and therefore only concrete steps to restore their eroded morale and degraded lives will guarantee lasting peace in the campuses.”
On its withheld salary, it explained that the 2022 Strike action was suspended after the intervention of some well-meaning Nigerians, including the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Alh. Sa’ad Abubakar, and the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, now the Chief of Staff Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
“The union said despite the intervention, only four out of seven and a half months were paid, calling on the federal government to as a matter of urgency settled all the outstanding salaries of the University lecturers across the country.
“To this end, several formal and informal meetings were held while the court proceedings were ongoing. Promises were made at the meetings, which included meeting the demands of ASUU and the release of the withheld salaries.
“Unfortunately, only four out of the seven and a half months were released. Therefore, the government has no justification for withholding lecturers’ salaries, particularly for the work that had already been completed.
“It is even more disheartening that the value of the withheld salaries is hardly worth more than one-third of its value, courtesy of the massive devaluation of the Naira in the last year.
“Therefore, ASUU calls on the Federal and State government to as a matter of urgency paid all the outstanding salaries.”
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