The National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) has accused the Federal Government of taking deliberate steps to induce an industrial crisis in the nation’s ivory towers.

At its 62nd National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the National Secretariat Complex, Yakubu Gowon University, the labour body deliberated on issues affecting the welfare of its members, the poor funding of Nigerian universities, and the government’s neglect of the education sector.

NAAT has engaged the Federal Government of Nigeria since 2017 via multiple committees to renegotiate the FGN/NAAT 2009 Agreement, originally due for review in 2012 per its three-year cycle.

This process, spanning nine years, has involved Dr Bolanle Babalakin (20170, Prof. Munzali Jibril (2020), the late Prof. Nimi Briggs (2022), and the current committee under Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, which was inaugurated in 2024.

The union observed that the Yayale Ahmed committee has demonstrated commitment, as evidenced by agreements signed with other tertiary unions.

However, rising from its 62nd NEC meeting, NEC-in-Session rejected the committee’s paltry offer from March 31, 2026, at the National Universities Commission.

It said the offer fails to address economic realities, including soaring costs of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), cooking gas, and electricity tariffs.

It stated that letters dated March 30, 2026, including one from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service to the National Salaries, Income, and Wages Commission, approving a 30 per cent allowance increase for non-teaching staff, are of greater concern.

The union complained that the letter was issued without NAAT’s concluded agreement, insisting that the actions undermine the renegotiation process, violate collective bargaining principles, and foster wage disparities.

A communique signed by its National President, Ibeji Nwokoma, said: “NAAT rejects this award and will resist it through all legal means, thwarting any divide-and-rule strategy. NAAT urges well-meaning Nigerians, clergy, civil society, the Nigeria Labour Congress, students, and parents to press the FGN to reconvene promptly and conclude renegotiations honourably. Absent this, the government bears responsibility for impending academic disruptions and loss of institutional peace.”