Governor of Gombe state, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya 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).
Professor Ibrahim Abubakar Njodi, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), in a statement, explained that the team would be chaired by the deputy governor, Dr Manassah Daniel Jatau.
According to him, 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.
The statement stated that 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.
Other members who make up the committee, according to the statement, are 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), while the permanent secretary, Special Services and Political Affairs will serve as the secretary.
Njodi announced that the team’s terms of reference included addressing the key demands of the university unions, particularly those laid out in the 2021 Memorandum of Action (MoA) that included 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.
The statement said, “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.”
Gov Yahaya sets committee to negotiate with labour unions in Gombe
