Averting strikes in universities

Following the recent warning strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and on-going negotiation between ASUU and government, President Bola Tinubu has vowed that academic activities in the nation’s public universities would no longer be disrupted by strikes. The President has also enjoined government negotiators to ensure lasting industrial peace in all tertiary institutions in the country. This was disclosed by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, after briefing the President about on-going negotiations with ASUU and other unions in tertiary institutions.

The grievances of ASUU are not new and the government is aware of them. They include the conclusion of the renegotiated 2009FGN/ASUU Agreement, release of the withheld three and a half months salaries, sustainable funding of public universities, revitalisation of universities and cessation of victimisation of lecturers in Lagos State University (LASU), Kogi State University (KSU), now Prince Abubakar University, and Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO). Others include the payment of the outstanding 25-35 per cent salary arrears, payment of promotion arrears for over four years and release of third-party deductions, including cooperative deductions and union check-off dues.

In spite of concessions by the federal government, there are fears that the on-going negotiation between government and ASUU may collapse if nothing is quickly done to avert it. There are indications that ASUU has rejected the 35 per cent salary increase proposed by the federal government for university teachers. At their recent National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Abuja, 89 ASUU branches in public universities reportedly rejected the offer. According to the President of ASUU, Prof Chris Piwuna, “when the proposed 35 per cent salary increase was tabled at the last NEC meeting, the 89 branches rejected the offer.” Instead of the 35 per cent salary increase, ASUU has insisted on the benchmark proposed by the former chairman of the government’s renegotiation team, Prof Nimi Briggs.

We recall that the Nimi Briggs’ committee had in 2022 recommended a monthly salary of N1.2million for professors in Nigerian public university system and the government jettisoned the report. Currently, professors in the public university system earn less than N500,000 per month. It is sad that Nigerian academics are among the lowest remunerated on the continent. According to data from a new study of salaries of university teachers across African countries, Nigerian professors earn about $336.66 per month, while their peers in South Africa take home about $4,800, and Uganda, $4,216 per month. In Kenya, professors earn $4,000, Ghana, $1,080 and Lesotho, $2,704.

Therefore, we urge the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed Federal Government Tertiary Institution Expanded Negotiation Committee and ASUU to amicably resolve all outstanding issues. The only way the federal government can avert further strikes in the universities and indeed other tertiary institutions is to holistically address the grievances of all unions in these institutions forthwith. It should significantly increase its annual budget for education to 26 per cent, which is the UNESCO benchmark. The current annual budgetary allocation for education, which hovers between seven and eight per cent, cannot adequately address the challenges of the sector. In fact, all tiers of government should increase their education budgets. Without adequate remuneration for university teachers, many of them will move abroad in search of greener pastures. It will worsen the brain drain in the education sector.

Now that the president has promised that Nigerian universities will no longer witness strikes again, the government’s negotiation team and ASUU must do everything humanly possible to reach agreement and resolve the matter. Unfortunately, the frequent closure of universities on account of perennial strikes has lowered the quality of our graduates as well as the global ranking of our universities.

For the future of university education in the country and quality of our graduates, the government and ASUU must wrap up the wage increase negotiation. There must be a timeframe to end it. The government must be intentional in resolving the wage issues once and for all. Its penchant for reneging agreements has not helped matters.

Henceforth, the federal government should demonstrate its willingness to honour all agreements reached with ASUU or any other tertiary institution. The era of reneging on agreements reached with trade unions should be over. Our university calendar is no longer predictable due to the disruption of academic activities arising from ASUU strikes. We call for a change of this ugly narrative.

ASUU and government should be flexible in the negotiation. Let the matter be resolved in a win-win situation. Another closure of the nation’s public universities on account of strike action would have dire consequences for university system. Additionally, ASUU should devise other means of settling industrial disputes instead of embarking on strike. Let ASUU change its strike strategy and come up with non-disruptive method in settling disputes with government.