FG/ASUU Talks Over Renegotiation Of 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement Hits Rock

Talks between the Federal Government and ASUU over the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement on revitalisation of Nigerian University system may have hit the rocks.

ASUU says it has pulled out of the negotiation untilpiì op the federal government does the needful.

ASUU declared at a press parley held by the Akure Zone of the union at the Obafemi Awolowo University, ile ife that the lack of commitment on the part of FG team necessitated their pulling out of the talks.

The 2009 ASUU/FGN agreement was initiated in 2009 in the wake of deterioration of the education sector and was opened to periodic renegotiations; the first of which started in 2017.

However, that may have broken down as ASUU is accusing the head of the FG team, Wake Babalakin SAN of trying to force the union into accepting the commercialization of public University system in Nigeria.

The chairman Of ASUU,Akure Zona, Prof Olu Olufayo called on the Federal government to immediately reconstitute the team as it has lost confidence in the Wake Babalakin led team to engage in a fruitful renegotiation.

The Akure Zone of the Union which comprises of Universities in Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states bemoaned the declining the continuous reduction in allocation for the education sector from 15 per cent in 2015 to 7 per cent in 2018 and among other demands called for the release of the 20 billion naira revitalisation fund for public Universities in Nigeria.

Other demands of the Union include

Release of forensic audit and mainstreaming of Earned Academic Allowance, EAA into the 2018 budget and payment of arrears of shortfall in salary.

ASUU maintained it can not guarantee the smooth working condition in Universities if the FG continues in it’s non-committal attitude to the agreement between them.