In a bid to avert an impending industrial action, the Federal Government has swiftly established a committee to reconstitute the governing councils of 61 federal universities.
This move comes just a day after the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) issued a two-week ultimatum to the government to reconstitute the councils or face the consequences.
ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, emphasized that the union will hold the federal and state governments accountable if the matter is allowed to escalate into an avoidable industrial crisis.
The union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, held at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, between May 11 and 12, 2024, thoroughly reviewed the status of its engagements with the government to reposition Nigeria’s public universities for global competitiveness.
Dr. Chris Maiyaka, Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) and a member of the committee, appealed to ASUU to trust President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ability to deliver on his promises.
He assured that the government is working diligently to reconstitute the governing councils, ensuring that the most qualified individuals are appointed to drive the president’s renewed hope agenda.
The NUC boss added that the reconstituted councils will undergo an orientation course to perform optimally.
This development comes after President Tinubu’s administration dissolved all governing councils in federal universities in June 2023, leaving universities without councils for over eleven months. Stakeholders, including ASUU, have expressed concerns and called for immediate reconstitution.
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