The Senate has said that it will intervene in the industrial dispute between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government.
It expressed concern over the government’s inability to meet ASUU’s demands, describing the situation as unacceptable.
READ ALSO: Improve Funding For Public Universities To End Strikes, ASUU Tells FG
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Senator Aliyu Dandutse, disclosed after a closed-door session with the leadership of ASUU.
He further noted that the Senate would immediately initiate a negotiation process involving key stakeholders, including ASUU, the Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC), to chart a path toward a permanent resolution of the crisis.
To address the controversial issue surrounding the University of Abuja land, the committee confirmed that the Senate would also engage with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to find an amicable solution.
“The Senate will interface with the FCT minister on the land matter, and other concerns raised will be carefully studied.
“Appropriate steps will be taken to ensure an amicable and lasting resolution,” it stated.
The committee further urged ASUU to formally submit a comprehensive list of their demands in writing to allow the Senate to assess both immediate and long-term legislative and policy measures needed to address the challenges plaguing the sector.
Demands Unchanged
The union had, during the session, called on the Federal Government to improve funding for public universities.
It warned that sustainable investment in education remained the only path to ending strikes and raising the global ranking of Nigerian universities.
The ASUU President, Chris Piwuna, who spoke on behalf of the union, stated that the ongoing two-week warning strike resulted from longstanding issues that dated as far back as 2011.
“We engaged the Federal Government for eight years without tangible results.
“The Yayale Ahmed Committee report, submitted in December 2024, was ignored until this industrial action began,” Professor Piwuna said.
According to him, the key demands of ASUU, including sustainable funding, improved conditions of service, revitalisation of public universities, and academic autonomy, remain unchanged.
The union also challenged the Senate committee to push the government to increase funding.
“Try us. Push government to fund universities adequately and you’ll see the end of strikes and the improvement of our universities in global rankings,” the ASUU president told the senators.
On funding delays, Piwuna revealed that although the National Assembly approved ₦150 billion for universities, only ₦50 billion had been released so far.
Even that amount, he noted, remains stuck at the Ministry of Education, where the minister allegedly intends to share it among universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, despite separate allocations for those institutions.
He cautioned that the ₦150 billion approved specifically for universities must be used for the intended purpose.
ASUU Cautions Wike
ASUU raised the alarm over attempts by the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, to allegedly tamper with a portion of the 10,000 hectares of land belonging to the University of Abuja.
It said, “We are worried because the University of Abuja is located in the FCT. Anyone serious about higher education should be focused on developing it.
“If the minister wants land, he should look in the opposite direction.
“The university has over 10,000 hectares of land. Despite repeated calls, the FCT minister continues to show interest in acquiring part of it.
“We appeal to the Senate to intervene and prevail on the minister to leave the university land alone.”
ASUU had last declared a two-week warning strike starting from October 13.
But the government said it had addressed all demands by ASUU and was open to continued negotiation to avert the strike.
Source: Channels TV
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