* We won’t be part of it, lecturers reply govt
The Federal government has reconstituted a team to renegotiate the 2009 agreements it reached with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Reconstituting the team, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, said there is the need to speedily bring to conclusion all outstanding issues in the 2009 agreements.
This, the minister said, is in order to achieve the desired industrial peace on the country’s university campuses.
Adamu said this on Thursday in Abuja through a statement by the ministry’s Director of Press, Mr. Ben Goong.
He listed the chairman and members of the reconstituted 2009 FGN/University-Based Unions Agreements Re-negotiation Team as: Prof. Emeritus Nimi Briggs, who doubles as the Pro-Chancellor, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (Chairman).
The members are: Lawrence Ngbale, Pro-Chancellor, Federal University, Wukari (member from the North-east), Prof. Funmi Togunu-Bickersteth, Pro-Chancellor, Federal University, Birnin Kebbi (member from South-west).
Also on the list are: Senator Chris Adighije, Pro-Chancellor, Federal University, Lokoja (member from South-east), Prof. Olu Obafemi, Pro-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Minna (member from North-central).
Prof. Zubairu Iliyasu, Pro-Chancellor, Kano State University of Science and Technology is the member from North-west and Matthew Seiyefa, Pro-Chancellor, Niger Delta University is the member from South-south.
Adamu said the team would be inaugurated on Monday.
He urged all advisers and observers in the Federal government and University-Based Unions On 2009 Agreements Re-Negotiation Team to attend the inauguration.
But ASUU declared that it would not participate in any further talks with the government.
ASUU explained that it had since rounded off negotiation with the government concerning its demands.
The President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, insisted that ASUU is only waiting for the government to implement its demands so that lecturers go return to the classroom.
“We don’t know what they (federal government) are talking about, we have nothing to negotiate with the government. As far as we are concerned, we have concluded negotiation with the government,” he said.