The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said it is optimistic that a newly signed agreement with the Federal Government could prevent industrial action in Nigeria’s public universities for at least the next three years.
The agreement was signed and unveiled on Wednesday following negotiations between the union and the government, with both sides describing it as a framework aimed at improving the quality and stability of the university education system.
ASUU has a long history of strikes, often triggered by disputes over inadequate funding, lecturers’ welfare, and the government’s failure to fully implement previous agreements.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, ASUU President, Prof Chris Piwuna, said the latest pact contains measurable commitments that would allow the union to monitor progress and address problems before they escalate into industrial disputes.
“There are measurable aspects of the agreement, and we believe we can monitor it that way.
“If we monitor it, we can raise concerns before it gets to a head, and we hope that in three years’ time there will be no strike at all until this agreement is reviewed again,” he said.
He explained that the agreement establishes an Implementation Monitoring Team to oversee compliance.
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According to him, the team will be domiciled at the National Universities Commission (NUC) and coordinated by the office of the NUC’s Executive Secretary.
Piwuna disclosed the monitoring committee is expected to provide continuous oversight to ensure that the terms of the agreement are respected and properly followed up by all parties.
The ASUU president also confirmed that the long-disputed 2009 agreement, which had been at the centre of several nationwide strikes, has now been formally replaced.
He said the union would henceforth rely on the newly signed 2025 agreement for all implementation matters.
“It is believed that we now have the 2025 agreement; all references will be made to the 2025 agreement. The 2009 agreement is no longer what we will refer to,” he said.
However, Piwuna clarified that aspects of the 1992 agreement, signed under the leadership of former ASUU president Prof Attahiru Jega, would still be referenced as historical context.
“So, 2009 is history, and we will continue to refer to our history so that we are properly guided. But for implementation, there is really nothing in the 2009 agreement that we are going to implement; it will be the 2025 agreement,” he said.