After the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) kicked over his failure to convene a meeting three months after President Muhammadu Buhari gave the directive, the chief of staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari, will on Thursday chair a tripartite meeting to address the lingering labour crisis in the Nigerian university system.
Mr Buhari had on February 1 directed Mr Gambari and the ministers of education, and labour and employment, Adamu Adamu and Chris Ngige respectively, to make up a team to address the concerns of the striking aggrieved workers’ unions.
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But in its statement on Monday, ASUU said since the President’s directive was issued, no meeting had been held by the concerned officials to resolve the conflicts.
ASUU has said failure of the government to show concern about its demands forced it to extend the three-month-old strike by another three months.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have also threatened to join the striking university workers in solidarity. The two leading labour unions in the country urged the government to either act or face consequences.
But in what could be described as an abrupt decision, the ministry of labour and employment has written to invite stakeholders to the meeting which is described as “Tripartite -Plus.”
This is coming after the news of the resignation of the minister of state for education, Emeka Nwajiuba, was broken at the Federal Executive Council meeting by the President.
Mr Nwajiuba, an aspirant for the presidency of Nigeria under the ruling All Progressives Congress, resigned his position to pursue his political dream.
But his aspiration has been widely condemned by many Nigerians who berated him for showing the “effrontery” to obtain a N100 million nomination and expression of interest forms amidst the lingering crisis in the nation’s education sector.
Proposed meeting
According to a copy of the invitation letter seen by PREMIUM TIMES, the meeting which is scheduled to hold by 4 p.m at the banquet hall of the statehouse will also have in attendance the representatives of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), the striking workers’ unions, and other workers’ unions such as NLC and TUC.
A copy of the invitation letter addressed to one of the concerned unions and signed on behalf of Mr Ngige by his special adviser in charge of technical matters, C.C Dike, urged the invitees to honour the invitation.
The letter read in part; “I refer to the ongoing strikes by ASUU and other registered trade unions in the various Nigerian universities and to inform you that the Chief of Staff to the President shall be chairing a Tripartite – Plus” meeting encompassing the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other registered trade unions in the Nigerian universities as well as identified interest groups and civil societies. The Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) would be a party in the meeting.
“In view of the above, I am directed to invite you to the meeting scheduled for Thursday. May 12, 2022, at the Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja by 4 pm”.
ASUU, SSANU react
Meanwhile, the leadership of ASUU has said it is yet to decide whether to honour the invitation or not.
In a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES, the president of the union, Emmanuel Osodeke, said the decision to either attend or not will be taken by the union on Thursday.
He, however, did not deny being invited to the meeting.
Mr Osodeke said: “We will meet tomorrow to decide whether to attend or not.”
But on its part, a member of the national executive council of SSANU confirmed to our reporter on the phone that the Joint Action Committee of both SSANU and NASU will honour the invitation.
The national vice-president of the union, Abdussobur Salaam, told our reporter on the phone that the union members are already in Abuja to attend the meeting.
“You know we already met the minister of education for the presentation of U3PS yesterday, so we are on the ground in Abuja, and I can confirm that JAC will be at the meeting,” he said.
Background
The four university-based unions –ASUU and its non-academic counterparts, Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT)- have been on strike, shutting down all public universities.
When the ASUU strike clocked three months on Monday, the union announced an extension by three months.
The unions have kicked against the neglect of the university system by successive administrations, poor welfare conditions of its members through unpaid allowances and accumulated salary arrears, among others. (PT)
