The current discussions between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) could stall as the union has dismissed the government’s re-negotiation team’s suggested 35 percent pay hike.
Daily Sun reported that during a recent National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, the 89 ASUU branches from public universities turned down the proposal.Instead, the union is advocating for the benchmark set by the previous head of the government’s re-negotiation committee, Prof. Nimi Biggs.
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna shared with Daily Sun that during the last NEC assembly, when the proposed 35 percent salary rise was presented, the 89 branches unanimously rejected it. Specifically addressing the salaries of lecturers, Piwuna remarked: “The latest offer from the Federal Government suggested a 35 percent increment. When we gathered to suspend the warning strike, none of the 89 branches accepted this increase.
All 89 branches of ASUU across Nigeria have nullified the 35 percent pay hike. Therefore, it’s an impossibility for us.“We possess Prof. Nimi Briggs’ benchmark, which we are negotiating with them in the team. We believe that should be the basis for their calculations.”The Briggs renegotiation panel in 2022 proposed a monthly salary of N1.2 million for professors within the Nigerian public university framework, yet the government disregarded the recommendations.
Public university professors currently earn under N500,000 per month.In that same year, the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) advised the Federal Government to raise professors’ salaries to N800,000, contrasting with the N1.2 million suggested by the Nimi Briggs committee. The CVCNU’s proposal equated to a 50 percent salary increment, surpassing the increase previously suggested by the Federal Government.