ASUU to FG: Honour the Briggs Committee Recommendations

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Calabar (UniCal) chapter, has called on the Federal Government to implement the recommendations submitted by the Prof. Nimi Briggs-led renegotiation committee.

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Calabar, ASUU UniCal Chairman, Dr. Peter Ubi, urged the government to act on the draft agreement produced by the committee.

The Briggs committee was set up by the Federal Government to renegotiate the 2009 FGN–ASUU Agreement and submitted its draft proposal in 2021 for approval and signing.

According to Ubi, the Federal Government has refused to address the union’s demands.

“After ASUU suspended its strike and issued a one-month ultimatum, the government failed to implement any tangible commitment,” he said.

He explained that although ASUU initially pushed for African average salaries for professors, it later adjusted its demand to the West African average after government opposition.
However, he said both proposals were rejected, and the union eventually agreed to the Briggs committee’s offer as a compromise.

“Our surprise now is that the government has refused to sign the outcome of the Briggs-led committee which it initiated,” Ubi added.

He noted that ASUU rejected the Federal Government’s 35 per cent salary increase proposal because it was not aligned with the Briggs committee’s recommendations.

“The government is using delay tactics, but the position of ASUU has remained unchanged; we stand on the Briggs-led committee agreement,” he said.

Recently, Minister of Education Tunji Alausa stated that the 2009 FGN–ASUU Agreement remains the only formally signed pact with the union, adding that the 2021 Briggs draft was never signed but currently serves as the framework for ongoing discussions.

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