Govt aware of FG/ASUU agreement’s cost implication –Report Relevant government ministries, departments and agencies were involved in deliberations that culminated in the signing of the 2009 agreement between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities. This is contrary to claims that the Federal Government was unware of the cost implications of the said agreement. Documents obtained by The PUNCH in Abuja, on Thursday revealed that apart from the Federal Ministry of Education, the ministries of Justice and Finance, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission and the Budget Office were fully represented. The Gamaliel Onosode-led eight-member Federal Government main negotiation team had the then Secretary-General of the Committee of Vice- Chancellors, late Prof. Musa Abdullahi as member. Others include Prof. Greg Iwu, Rev. Father T.E Uwaifo, Emeka Nwankpa, Ambassador Muhammed Jumba, Senator Abdalla Wali as well as the immediate-past Executive Secretary of the Education Trust Fund, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu. This is apart from Profs. Julius Okojie, Oye Ibidapo- Obe, Chinedu Nebo and eight others who served as advisers. The ASUU team consisted of a 28-member body led by a former President, Dr. Abdullahi Sule-Kano and Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie who was then the President of ASUU. The area of contention is contained on page 14 of the 2009 agreement which in itself was the outcome of a re-negotiation of the 2001 FG/ASUU agreement. Section 3.2 of the 2009 agreement under the sub-head “Earned Academic Allowances” states, “It was agreed that entitled academic staff shall be paid the following earned allowances at the rates indicated for undertaking the listed assignments – -Lecturer 1 N15,000 per student, per annum -Senior Lecturer N20,000 per student, per annum -Reader and Professor N25, 000 per student, per annum. This allowance shall be paid to the entitled academic staff for a maximum of five students per annum. -Teaching practice/industrial supervision/field trip allowances -Assistant Lecturer –Lecturer 1 N60,000 per annum -Senior Lecturer N80,000 per annum -Reader and Professor N100, 000 per annum.” Part of the agreement also stipulated that honoraria for external/ internal examiners for postgraduate thesis be paid at the rate of N80, 000 per thesis for Masters and N105, 000 for doctorate degree (External). “Amounts to be paid to internal examiners for the same function are N45, 000 and N65, 000 per thesis respectively,” the agreement added. Although it was learnt that Onosode did not agree to the earned allowance clause, this was not reflected in the final signed document. Several other agreements were also entered into with the Senior Staff Association of Universities where individuals who were not part of government at the time signed the agreement on behalf of government. A source who was part of the negotiating team but pleaded for anonymity for fear of victimisation said, “As you can see, it was Dr. Wale Babalakin, who was then Chairman of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of Federal Universities who signed the FG/ SSANU on behalf of government.” He noted that the Federal Government knew what it was doing when it nominated a person who was not in government to sign the agreement on its behalf. A letter dated November 5, 2009 with reference number: FME/TE/SS& IM.C.37/VOL.1/ 158 addressed to Onosode, conveyed government’s decision to grant authority to Babalakin to sign on its behalf. Meanwhile, the Nigerian Academy of Science has blamed the prolonged strike embarked upon by ASUU on lack of trust between the Federal Government and the lecturers.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 12:14:04 +0000
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