By Okeke Eunice
Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) from the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) in Bauchi held a protest on Thursday, calling on President Bola Tinubu to ensure the prompt implementation of the Prof. Nimi Briggs Committee’s agreement regarding the renegotiation of salaries for academic staff at federal universities.
The ASUU members marched from their secretariat on the Yelwa campus to the main gate, carrying placards with various messages to highlight their situation.
In a statement to journalists, the branch chairperson of ASUU at ATBU, Comrade Ibrahim Inuwa, said that the failure to implement the agreement has resulted in academics not receiving salaries that reflect current economic conditions, as well as ongoing inadequate funding for universities.
He expressed regret that ASUU members have been stuck on the same salary structure for 15 years, with all attempts at renegotiation unsuccessful, resulting in stagnation.
He elaborated that the request for a renegotiation of the pay structure with the Federal Government of Nigeria is based on International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No. 98, which upholds the principle of collective bargaining.
“According to the FGN/ASUU 2009 Agreement, it was specified that the agreement would be reviewed every three years. However, the union has not had a renegotiated agreement for the last 15 years.”
As a result of significant efforts and pressure on the government, a renegotiation committee was formed in 2017, chaired by Wale Babalakin. However, this committee did not complete its task within the specified time.
Two additional committees, led by Prof. Munzali Jibrin and the late Emeritus Prof. Nimi Briggs, negotiated and created draft agreements, but the process was stopped before the reviewed agreement could be finalized. According to him, the document has been in draft form since 2021.