The Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions (NASU) has slammed the recent inauguration of the renegotiation committee set up by the Federal Government, branding it a "charade" and accusing authorities of blatant bias in favor of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The renegotiation committee, inaugurated on Tuesday in Abuja, was charged with addressing the long-standing 2009 agreements between the government and university-based unions. However, SSANU and NASU have come out swinging, declaring that the event was nothing more than a staged spectacle designed to favor ASUU, while marginalizing non-teaching staff.
In a scathing joint statement signed by SSANU President, Muhammed Ibrahim, and NASU counterpart, Peters Adeyemi, the unions expressed outrage, condemning the government's actions and accusing it of prioritizing ASUU at the expense of other university workers.
“The entire inauguration seemed to revolve around ASUU, with the other unions treated as an afterthought," the statement reads, adding that “the Honourable Minister of Education’s speech focused almost exclusively on ASUU, while the other unions were barely mentioned.”
This latest renegotiation committee marks the fourth since 2017, with previous committees headed by Wale Babalakin (2017), Munzali Jubril (2020), and Nimi Briggs (2022), all of which have failed to resolve the ongoing disputes. The current committee has been given a three-month deadline, but SSANU and NASU are already sounding alarms over what they call a rigged process.
According to the unions, the President of ASUU was given undue prominence at the inauguration, seated at what was described as the "Responsibility table," while leaders of SSANU and NASU were relegated to the sidelines as mere spectators.
“The President of ASUU was allowed to speak on behalf of all unions without prior consultation, further proving that the views of other unions are being disregarded,” the statement furiously noted.
The unions also raised concerns that the renegotiation process would once again favor academic staff at the expense of non-teaching personnel, with fears mounting that their demands will be sidelined.
"We reject the charade that took place in the name of an inauguration, as it signals a clear bias toward academic staff and undermines the rights of non-teaching workers," the statement concluded, casting doubt over the fairness of the entire negotiation process.
