Our patience running out over delayed 2009 agreement renegotiation, SSANU

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has voiced strong concern over the protracted delay in renegotiating the 2009 agreement between university unions and the Federal Government. The union warns that its members are becoming increasingly agitated as the process continues to drag on.

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Our charge here is to see that those bordering issues, those pressing issues that affect our members, particularly the issue of renegotiation of our 2009 agreement, which has been long in coming, are resolved within the shortest possible time.

Dr. Abdussobour Salaam, National Vice President and Chairman of SSANU's Western Zone, stated that the union has shown considerable patience over the years, but members' tolerance is rapidly diminishing. Speaking at a zonal executive council meeting involving representatives from 26 universities, Salaam emphasized the need for swift resolution of pressing issues, particularly the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement.

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We are almost concluding the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement with the Federal Government. The renegotiation is chaired by Yayale Ahmed; we are almost done with it, but it has not been without challenges.

Salaam indicated that the renegotiation process, chaired by former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, is nearing its conclusion despite encountering several challenges. He commended President Bola Tinubu for maintaining the platform for negotiations, especially after some government officials had previously threatened to derail the exercise.

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At a point in time, we had some government officials that were almost truncating the whole process, but we thank President Bola Tinubu for providing this platform of renegotiation.

However, SSANU is urging President Tinubu to ensure the final stages of the renegotiation are not frustrated by individuals or groups not directly involved in the process. The union recalled that the 2009 agreement stipulated a review every three years, a timeline that successive administrations failed to adhere to. SSANU members are increasingly impatient, and the union has already suspended some actions due to the ongoing delays.

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The last negotiation was in 2009 and it was part of the agreement that every three years, the agreement would be renegotiated. We were supposed to have another one by 2012, then another one in 2015, 2018 and 2021.