THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared that that it will not be a party to any renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement it had with the federal government just as the government on Thursday reconstituted it team to renegotiate with the union.
ASUU President, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke told Vanguard on Thursday evening that the union will not participate in any further talk with the federal government, as it had since concluded negotiation with the government over its demands.
Prof Osodeke asserted that ASUU is only waiting for the government to implement the mutual agreement for lecturers to go back to the classroom.
“We don’t know what they (federal government) are talking about, we have nothing to negotiate with the government. As far as we are concerned, we have concluded negotiation with the government,” Vanguard quoted Prof Osodek to have stated.
The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, had, according to a statement by the ministry’s Director of Press, Mr Ben Goong, on Thursday reconstituted federal government’s team with the mandate to renegotiate the 2009 agreements with ASUU.
The minister, the statement stated, said there was the need to speedily bring to conclusion all outstanding issues in the 2009 agreements in order to achieve the desired industrial peace on the nation’s university campuses.
The reconstituted team for the renegotiation is headed by Prof. Emeritus Nimi Briggs, who is also the Pro-Chancellor, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, while other members include Lawrence Ngbale, Pro-Chancellor, Federal University, Wukari (North-East); Prof. Funmi Togunu-Bickersteth, Pro-Chancellor, Federal University, Birnin Kebbi (South-West); and Prof. Olu Obafemi, Pro-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Minna (North-Central).
Others members of the team are Prof. Zubairu Iliyasu, Pro-Chancellor, Kano State University of Science and Technology (North-West); Sen. Chris Adighije, Pro-Chancellor, Federal University, Lokoja (South-East); and Matthew Seiyefa, Pro-Chancellor, Niger Delta University (South-South). The team, the statement said, would be inaugurated on Monday.
