The Federal Government has set up a fresh 14-man committee to look into the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, according to a statement issued by the ministry’s spokesman, Ben Goong, disclosed this at a press conference at the end of the meeting between the federal government, Vice-Chancellors and Pro-Chancellors of public universities on Tuesday in Abuja.
Members of the committee are Chairman of the ASUU/FG negotiation team, Prof. Nimmi Briggs, Chairman of the Governing Council, Federal University, Minna, Prof. Olu Obafemi and former Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma.
Others include an elder statesman, Prof. Bashir Dalhatu, Vice- Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Kabiru Bala, Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, and Vice-Chancellor, University of Benin, Prof. Lilian Salami.
The President, Academics of letters, Prof. Duro Oni, President, Academics of Medicine, Prof. Akinsanya Osibogun, Vice- Chancellor, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Prof. Charles Igwe, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede and the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, completed the list.
The federal government had in July set up a renegotiation committee headed by Briggs to look into the varsity teachers’ demands.
The statement read: “After enormous two-hour deliberations, the meeting constituted a committee made up of four Pro-Chancellors, five Vice Chancellors and others, to be chaired by the minister of education to further look at the grey areas ASUU is demanding, particularly the areas where there has been no consensus.
“As I speak to you, that committee is meeting and they will proceed to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari on the outcome of the deliberations of that committee.
“Two basic areas that the committee will be looking at is the ‘no work no pay’ issue and the issue of remuneration of university lecturers.”
