The Committee of Pro-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CPCNU) has asked President Bola Tinubu to review the pending report of the federal government negotiation committee with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
ASUU and the federal government have been at loggerheads in recent years.
In June 2022, the government constituted a 14-member committee to assess the demands of ASUU and other university unions.
The government had said the committee, chaired by Adamu Adamu, former minister of education, would revisit the recommendations of the Nimi Briggs-led committee.
The Briggs-led committee was in charge of the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement between the FG and ASUU.
In August last year, meeting between the FG and ASUU ended deadlocked as the union rejected FG’s proposal to form a consolidated university academic salary structure (CONUASS).
Addressing the lingering face-off in a communique issued after its 99th regular meeting in Abuja, the CPCNU urged Tinubu to resolve pending issues with the union to avoid another industrial action.
Yakubu Ochefu, the union’s secretary general, said the meeting had in attendance pro-chancellors from 50 federal universities.
He added that the Committee of Pro-Chancellors (CPC) had constituted two ad hoc committees to deal with some thematic issues such as alternative funding of universities and university autonomy.
“The meeting discussed various issues pertaining to the state of affairs and wellbeing of the Nigerian university system and strategies for sustaining the proper conduct of academic activities in Nigerian universities,” he said.
“Members of the CPC congratulate President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima on their inauguration as President and Vice President, respectively. CPC looks forward to working closely with the administration to realise its vision for the tertiary education sub-sector.
“The Pro-Chancellors salute the affirmation of Mr President to uphold the sanctity of university autonomy and create the right and enabling environment for teaching, learning and research.
“CPC looks forward to working closely with the government to sustain this vision and ensure that the existing laws in this direction are firmly upheld”.
The pro-chancellors also appreciated the president for signing the student loan bill into law.
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