The ASUU-FG amity

THE seemingly interminable and intractable rift between the Federal Government and the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) would seem to have been resolved at last. Recently, the two parties signed the renegotiated 2009 agreement expected to usher in permanent industrial peace and harmony for exponential development of university education in Nigeria. Many watchers of the situation have labeled the agreement unveiling and signing ceremony as a ‘long walk to freedom’. As the two gladiators represented by top government functionaries and the ASUU president,  Professor Chris Piwuna, as well as former presidents of ASUU and vice-chancellors, sat at the auditorium of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), many stakeholders in the Nigerian university system heaved a sigh of relief. After sixteen years of bickering with the Federal Government, ASUU put a final imprimatur on the peace deal.

 Details of the agreement indicate an upward review of the emoluments of university academics by 40 percent to enhance morale and improve the quality of service delivery and global competitiveness of Nigerian tertiary educational institutions. This, the agreement underscored, would reverse brain drain. It was programmed to take effect from January 1 this year. In his speech on the landmark occasion, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said that the Federal Government was committed to the implementation of the agreement, would be involved in a continuous engagement with the academia and its leadership, and sustain the reform process under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu. He lauded Yayale Ahmed, chairman of the renegotiation committee, and his team for what he termed their commitment to the advancement of tertiary education in Nigeria. “This agreement ushers in a new era of stability, dignity, and excellence for Nigeria’s tertiary education system. It restores confidence to our lecturers, predictability to academic calendars, and hope to millions of students and parents across the country,” he said.

The minister said: “The salary structure will comprise CONUASS and CATA. The 40 percent review will be represented By Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance and is peculiar to university academic staff. The Consolidated Academic Tools Allowances cover journal publications, conference participation, internet access, learned society membership, and book allowances, which are critical tools required for effective teaching, research, and global academic competitiveness.Earned Academic Allowances: These allowances, nine  in number, are now clearly structured, transparently earned, and strictly tied to duties performed, thereby promoting productivity, accountability, and fairness. This group of allowances also consists of enhanced provisions for postgraduate supervision, fieldwork, clinical duties, moderation, examination responsibilities, and leadership roles within the tertiary education system”. Alausa further announced that President Tinubu had approved new allowances for senior academics at the level of full-time professors and readers. Under the new special allowance, a professor will collect N1,740,000 annually, equivalent to N140,000 per month and N840,000 annually, equivalent to ₦70,000 per month for readers.

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We commend both parties for coming to an agreement after years of disruptions in the university system that caused students and their parents enormous anguish, and cast Nigeria in extremely bad light, especially before the international community. We hasten to add, however, that the key ingredient that will make this agreement worthwhile is sustainability. As Nigerians are well aware, agreements had been reached in the past and broken with abandon. We hope that, moving forward, this new agreement will not fracture. The guarantee of sustainability is for the parties to keep their own sides of the bargain. This is key to reversing the ugly scenes of the past and putting the university system on a sound footing.

Given the unquantifiable time and energy that has been lost to the saber-rattling between the two parties, especially the issue of perennial strikes in the universities, no one can wish for anything other than a sustenance of the amity just reached. Students and their parents have suffered untold pain due to the flexing of ego between ASUU and the government. It is time for a change. It is also important to realise that as pivotal as it is, the agreement with ASUU cannot on its own guarantee permanent peace on the country’s campuses. The Federal Government must cut a deal with other unions in the university system. The system will collapse if they down tools, citing governmental indifference to their plight and their demands. They, too, must be carried along in the course of sustaining peace and quiet in the universities.