You could say it again: the negotiations over the last Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike, were perhaps, the most arduous in the history of strikes in Nigeria. Initially, the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, did not want to be involved directly. He only wanted to do so through proxies. It started with Governor Gabriel Suswam-led universities Needs Assessment Implementation Committee and later Namadi Sambo-led mediation committee, none of which succeeded in brokering agreements that could bring an end to the strike. Much later, the Senate led by its President, David Mark, dismissed the 2009 agreement between the Federal Government and the striking union as unrealistic, while the House of Representatives offered to approve a budgetary intervention to enable ASUU end the strike. The Speaker, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who was briefed by the Aminu Suleiman-led House Committee on Education asked to investigate and recommend solution appealed to the warring parties to resolve the issues involved in the interest of the students and the educational future of the nation. None of the arguments cut an ice with ASUU. Crisis of confidence occasioned by unguarded remarks on the part of government negotiators, and suspicion, on the part of ASUU national officials led by the President, Dr. Nasir Isa Fagge, leading to prolonged impasse, eventually made Jonathan to personally wade into the matter, after ASUU had refused to call off the strike despite his pleas to it to do so, in many a public forum. Setting the stage for a fruitful discussion Whereas the Federal Government delegation led by Jonathan had on its team, the Vice President, Namadi Sambo, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim, Chief of Staff to the President, Mike Oghiadomhe, Coordinating Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, supervising Minister of Education, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu; National Universities Commission (NUC), Executive Secretary, Prof. Julius Okojie and other presidential aides, including Dr. Reuben Abati, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, the ASUU nine-man team led by Dr. Fagge, included former ASUU Presidents like Prof. Dipo Fashina and Prof. Festus Iyayi, President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Abduwaheed Omar; President, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Boboyi Kaigama, Prof. Abdullahi Sule-Kano and Suleiman Abdul, among others. Earlier while entering the conference room, Jonathan had said, in the course of exchanging pleasantries with Dr. Fagge: “My President, I am sure the problem will be over today. Our children must go back to school.” And, when he got to where Omar was seated, he said: “My President, with you here, it is signed and sealed.” So, what was it that was discussed afterward that brought us to the stage where we are now? Both officials of ASUU and government representatives had kept sealed lips on the details of discussion and outcome of the 13-hour marathon meeting which started at 2.40 pm last Monday, and was adjourned about 7pm for a 15-minute break before being reconvened later in the evening and continuing into about 3am of the following day. But Education Review understands from source close to the Presidency that after more banters inside the conference room, the meeting kicked off on a more earnest note with the President expressing his wish to see the end of the strike and to do anything within his power, to make whatever concessions he can to break the deadlock so that universities can be re-opened. Reminding the audience of the various efforts he’d made and committees he set up to resolve the crisis, including the Suswam and Namadi Sambo-led committees, the President was said to have argued that they showed his earnest desire to have the issues involved resolved amicably so that students and staff can go back to school. But he had to personally take it upon himself, to come in, he said, when stalemates ensued. Reiterating the commitment of his administration to adequately fund the universiti
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 21:02:32 +0000
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