FG Expands Tertiary Institutions Negotiation Committee To Fast-Track Agreements With Unions
The Federal Government has reconstituted and inaugurated the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee, in a renewed effort to fast-track the conclusion of ongoing discussions with unions across Nigeria’s higher education sector.
The move, announced Monday night by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, comes amid growing tensions and threats of industrial action by academic and non-academic unions in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
Dr. Alausa explained that the expanded committee was designed to harmonize all negotiation processes under a unified and inclusive framework, ensuring that the government’s commitments are both comprehensive and sustainable.
According to him, “The reconstituted committee will leverage institutional memory and sector-wide representation to address the lingering challenges that have stalled industrial harmony within our tertiary institutions.
The aim is to conclude discussions faster and prevent future disruptions in the academic calendar.”
The committee, chaired by former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, includes representatives from the Ministries of Education, Labour and Employment, Finance, and Budget and National Planning, as well as key agencies like the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.
It is expected to engage with major unions such as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), and the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), among others.
The reconstitution of the committee marks a renewed push by the Tinubu administration to prevent another round of crippling strikes that have repeatedly disrupted Nigeria’s tertiary education system over the past decade.
Dr. Alausa reaffirmed the government’s commitment to dialogue, saying, “We are determined to restore stability, fairness, and mutual trust in our engagement with all stakeholders in the education sector.”
Meetings with the unions are expected to commence immediately.
