•Union insists on N350bn in 2014, N400bn
over four years
•Govt, NLC optimistic about reopening of
varsities
Jaiyeola Andrews and Damilola Oyedele
The Academic Staff Union of Universities
(ASUU) has begun consultations with its
members on whether or not to accept the new
offer of a yearly payment of N220 billion over
the next five years made by the federal
government, in furtherance of the
implementation of the 2009 Agreement aimed
at ending the four-month strike by the
university teachers.
THISDAY gathered that the federal government
at a marathon meeting with President
Goodluck Jonathan that ended Tuesday, had
made the offer of the annual payment of N220
billion for five years after the union had
insisted on getting paid N350 billion in 2014
and N400 billion annually over the next four
years.
But the federal government had pleaded with
the union to be reasonable in its demands so
that the universities could be reopened. It also
appealed to ASUU’s representatives at the
meeting to take its offer to its members and
gave them one week to thrash it out.
If the federal government’s offer is accepted,
the amount will be used for the universities’
infrastructure needs and lecturers’ earned
allowances as stipulated under the 2009
Agreement.
Following the N200 billion annual offer made
by the federal government, the union, after the
13-hour meeting, said it could not take a
decision yet on the proposal until its members
had examined the offer and decided whether
to accept or reject it.
Although none of the parties to the
negotiations, which began on Monday at 2.40
pm and ended at about 3.30 am yesterday,
was willing to divulge details to reporters who
had kept vigil throughout the meeting, it was
gathered that the concrete annual lump sum
of N220 billion offered by government, raised
hopes of an imminent end to the protracted
labour dispute.
Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief
Emeka Wogu, and the Nigeria Labour
Congress (NLC) were upbeat yesterday that
students who had been kept home by the
strike would soon return to schools.
Briefing State House reporters yesterday
morning after the marathon meeting, ASUU
President, Dr. Nasir Fagge, said the union
would take the message from Jonathan to its
members.
On what the message was all about, he said
the union got a message from the president
and would take it to the members.
He however declined to say what had
transpired at the meeting and whether a truce
was reached or not.
“Well we had a lengthy meeting with Mr.
President, rubbing minds on how best to
address the problem of university education in
this country. And we now have a message
from Mr. President which we are going to take
to our members. And we are expecting that
our members will respond appropriately to the
message of Mr. President,” he explained.
When asked for details of the message, Fagge
said: “I can’t tell you (reporters). It is not for
you. It is for our members.”
He also declined to say if he was satisfied with
the president’s offer, adding: “Don’t put words
into my mouth. Our members will determine
that.”
On whether the union was ready to call off the
strike to allow the resumption of academic
activities in universities, he stressed: “That is
up to our members.”
Wogu, also in his interaction with reporters,
expressed optimism that the outcome of the
negotiations with ASUU would lead to the
suspension of the strike.
He said: “We made progress. The president of
ASUU told you (reporters) that they are going
back with a message from the federal
government to their members. And the
message is full of high expectations and
hope.”
On whether the message was good enough to
make ASUU call off the strike, he said: “That is
why the message is full of high expectations
and hope. So our prayer is that they come
back with a positive outcome.
“They might not even come back to meet us,
they might take decisions there that will meet
your expectations.
“Nigerians should be patient for ASUU to finish
their meetings and come out with a message
to Nigerians.”
On whether the government made any fresh
offer to the union, Wogu said: “Well, the offers
we made are the offers they are talking about
in line with the 2009 agreement. The issues
that led to the strike are issues contained in
the 2009 Agreement and we did not go beyond
the agreement.”
The minister, who also spoke to THISDAY on
the issue yesterday, reiterated his statement
that the marathon meeting focused on the
2009 agreement with the union.
“We believe the presidential intervention has
resolved the logjam. The ball is now in the
court of the union leaders to meet with their
members to convey the outcome of the
meeting to their members.
“We are very optimistic that this will bring
about a positive outcome. Even the ASUU
team was very happy with the deliberations,”
he said.
The minister however was not categorical on
whether the federal government had accepted
to implement the terms of the 2009 Agreement
to the letter.
The NLC, which was part of the negotiations,
also welcomed the offer made by the federal
government to ASUU.
NLC acting General Secretary, Chris Uyot, who
declined to give any details on what was
discussed, described the proposal as
“acceptable”.
But he told THISDAY in a telephone
conversation yesterday that while the federal
government’s offer was acceptable to the NLC,
suspending the strike would depend on
whether ASUU finds it acceptable or not.
He added that the acceptability or otherwise of
the offer would be determined after a meeting
of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of
ASUU.
“We held a meeting with the president and
ASUU. Yes, there was an offer, the offer was
okay and acceptable to the NLC but it
depends on ASUU on whether they can accept
it. When you have an offer in a situation of this
nature, you need to put them before your
members who gave you the mandate; you
have to get back to them before taking a
decision,” he said.
Uyot described the process as a regular
feature of industrial relations' negotiations.
On details of the proposal put on the table by
the federal government, he said: “I cannot
reveal the details of the offer. The offer to
ASUU are not to the NLC, so until ASUU comes
out with a statement, we cannot reveal the
details.”
Also, the Chairman of ASUU (UniAbuja
chapter), Dr. Clement Chup, said the union's
NEC would reach out to members before
taking a decision.
“The meeting has been held. There will be a
briefing at different levels and we will get back
to you all,” he said.
He also declined to reveal details of the
meeting or whether the union would accept the
new offer.
“I am sorry, I am not permitted to speak on
whether the offer is acceptable or not, or
discuss the details,” he added.
But it was gathered that given the latest
development, ASUU might be more disposed
now to return to the classroom.
A labour analyst who asked not to be named
said it was in the interest of the union to make
some concessions on its demands following
the interventions by the president, after several
interventions by highly-placed individuals and
the National Assembly had failed.
Negotiating teams headed by Vice-President
Namadi Sambo as well as Benue State
Governor, Mr. Gabriel Suswam, who chairs the
Needs Assessment Implementation Committee
had both failed to yield fruit.
“ASUU has to realise that it has no support
among Nigerians, even NANS has condemned
the strike. Nigerians are also unhappy with
ASUU whose demands have been described
as outrageous since the details were
revealed,” the analyst said.
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