The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has released a progress report on the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement led by Alhaji Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, highlighting key resolutions on university funding, autonomy, governance, and staff welfare.
This is contained in a report signed by ASUU President, Christopher Piwuna, and obtained by DAILY POST via ASUU’s Facebook page on Tuesday.
The union outlined agreements reached across seven major areas, including non-salary conditions of service, funding, governance matters, implementation strategies, salaries, and earned academic allowances.
* University autonomy, governance
According to the report, both ASUU and the Federal Government agreed to uphold full university autonomy, including adherence to existing laws governing Senate, Governing Councils and internal regulations. It was reaffirmed that establishment circulars inconsistent with university laws would no longer apply.
The parties also agreed that vice-chancellors must be appointed strictly on merit, rejecting emerging pressures for host-community indigenes to occupy the position.
In addition, membership of governing councils, they noted, must align with the Universities Miscellaneous Provisions Act, ensuring appointees of high integrity and knowledge of university culture.
University departments will elect their heads, while deans, sub-deans and provosts will be chosen through internal elections. Recruitment policies are to promote national and international diversity among staff and students.
* Funding, budgeting
An improved needs-based budgeting system was approved for Nigerian universities, covering critical recurrent and capital components previously omitted from the existing budget template.
The Federal Government committed to strengthening research and development by ensuring universities benefit fully from National Research Council interventions and encouraging companies and multinationals to fund R&D in tertiary institutions.
It was agreed that universities’ landed properties would be protected, and new innovative taxes—including those requiring legislative action and executive orders—would be explored to guarantee sustainable education funding.
* Administrative issues
The Senate, Congregation and other statutory bodies, ASUU said, will remain composed in accordance with their enabling laws. Pre-degree programmes will be restricted to science and under-subscribed fields, while universities must respect students’ constitutional rights to lawful assembly and association.
The long-debated pyramidal academic staff structure was abolished, with promotions to be based on research output and performance rather than vacancies.
Universities also secured approval for duty-free importation of books, laboratory equipment, journals, teaching tools and sustainable energy materials.
* Implementation strategy
Immediate priority areas include establishing a monitoring unit in the National Universities Commission (NUC), setting up an implementation committee, amending relevant laws and releasing funds to fulfil government obligations.
The agreement will undergo a comprehensive review every three years, and academic staff salaries will automatically increase whenever public sector wages are reviewed.
*Salary structure, earned allowances*
According to the report, government’s initial salary offers were rejected as inadequate. After further negotiations, a structure comparable to recommendations of the Nimi Briggs Committee was proposed, slightly higher for some cadres and slightly lower for others.
ASUU’s National Executive Council resolved to accept it to avoid prolonged stagnation.
On earned academic allowances, both sides agreed that universities will implement annual payments equivalent to 12% of their appropriated academic staff wage bill, to be funded through yearly budgetary allocations.
ASUU also secured a non-victimisation clause to protect all individuals involved in the negotiation process.