Strike: Gombe gov raises c’ttee to negotiate with varsity unions

Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has set up a high-level negotiation team to engage with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) all of Gombe State University (GSU).

A statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Ibrahim Abubakar Njodi, said the team will be chaired by the deputy governor, Dr Manassah Daniel Jatau.

He also said the committee, comprising other key government officials, has been tasked with negotiating the demands put forward by the unions and resolving them through dialogue to ensure the stability of academic activities at the GSU.

 Other members of the team are; commissioners for Local Government and Community Development, Finance and Economic Development, Education, Higher Education, Budget and Economic Planning; executive chairperson of the state Internal Revenue Services and the state Auditor-General.

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 The  Accountant-General of the State, Permanent Secretary, Bureau for Public Service Reforms, chairman and deputy of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) are all members while  the permanent secretary, Special Services and Political Affairs who will serve as the secretary.

 Prof.  Njodi, who conveyed Governor Yahaya’s approval, announced the team’s terms of reference to include; addressing the key demands of the university unions, particularly those laid out in the 2021 Memorandum of Action (MoA), which includes: Increased funding for Gombe State University, Payment of accumulated Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) and Establishment of a dedicated training fund for academic staff pursuing higher degrees.

“In addition to these demands, other unresolved issues are also on the negotiation table, such as the consequential adjustment of the N30,000 minimum wage, 35% and 25% wage award for academic staff, Updating DTA allowances, implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage and release of the White Paper on the 2023 Visitation Panel to the university,” the statement read.