Nigeria’s federal government (FG) has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to reconsider its recent strike threat.
The plea comes in response to a two-week ultimatum issued by ASUU demanding the reconstitution of governing councils in federal universities.
The acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Chris Maiyaki, said, on Wednesday, that the Federal Government was working to reconstitute the governing councils of universities.
He said the Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, had put in place a panel to work on the list.
Maiyaki spoke at a media parley with education reporters in Abuja on Wednesday.
The NUC boss, speaking on behalf of the FG, acknowledged the importance of well-functioning governing councils. He emphasized the government’s ongoing efforts to ensure qualified individuals are appointed to these critical positions. However, he stressed the complexity involved in reconstituting councils for all 61 federal universities.
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“Reconstituting the councils is not a simple task,” he explained. “We are committed to ensuring a thorough process that identifies individuals with the necessary experience and qualifications to effectively guide our universities.”
Speaking on the number of universities in the country, the NUC boss said the commission was committed to expanding access to higher education.
“And for this, the current 272 universities in the NUS are not sufficient to accommodate the ever-growing demand for university education by Nigerian youths.
“Each year, Nigerian universities receive close to two million applications, only a small fraction of them are admitted. That is why there is a need for Nigeria to continue to increase access by establishing more universities to meet the demand for quality education in the country,” Maiyaki said.
ASUU, on the other hand, maintains that the current governing councils lack legitimacy and transparency. The union argues that these flaws hinder effective university administration and decision-making.
While a resolution hasn’t been reached, both parties appear open to dialogue. The FG has expressed its willingness to work with ASUU to address their concerns. Negotiations are expected to continue in the coming weeks to avert a potential strike action.
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