The Congress of University Academics (CONUA) has faulted its exclusion from renegotiating the 2009 Agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), describing it as unacceptable.
The union, a breakaway faction of ASUU, registered as an independent union during the tenure of Dr Chris Ngige as Minister of Labour and Productivity, wondered why it was sidelined in the renegotiation process.
CONUA, in a statement by its National President, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, wondered how a committee could disregard the minister’s mandate who inaugurated the renegotiation committee chaired by Dr Yayale Ahmed, a former Head of Service of the federation.
Sunmonu said the committee has since submitted its report to the federal government without the input of CONUA.
“This development is both surprising and disappointing, particularly on the premise that the union had earlier received a formal letter of invitation from the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, dated December 20, 2024, directing the same committee to engage with CONUA. To date, we have not been invited to make any submission or contribution to the renegotiation process,” he lamented.
Sunmonu argued that since the 2009 Agreement was entered into on behalf of all academic staff in Nigerian public universities, it is expected that the current reality of having three recognised academic unions in the system should have naturally meant that all the stakeholders affected by the decision of the committee were carried along.
“But the exclusion of CONUA, a registered and legitimate union, from such a crucial process undermines the principle of fairness, inclusiveness, and democratic engagement, as enshrined in the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) convention and ratified by the federal government within the university system,” he said.
Sunmonu emphasised that the renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement is not just about revisiting past commitments, but about shaping the future of academic labour relations, service conditions, and institutional stability in Nigeria’s higher education sub-sector.
“That is why it is grossly inappropriate and untenable for one union to represent the interests of others in a plural union environment, as we currently operate in Nigeria.”
Sunmonu, subsequently, called on the Minister of Education to urgently look into the matter and correct what he described as oversight.
He warned that the continued exclusion of CONUA could erode the fragile stability currently enjoyed by the academic system and trigger avoidable discontent among staff.
He said failure to act on the matter may lead to another round of industrial crisis and academic disruptions in the institutions.
The federal government must, therefore, take urgent steps to avoid a relapse into instability by ensuring that all duly registered academic unions are recognised and engaged on equal footing, starting from this ongoing policy processes that concern their welfare and working conditions, and going into the future.
