The Congress of University Academics (CONUA) has expressed deep concern and surprise that the Federal Government could exclude it from participating in the renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), saying such exclusion is totally unacceptable.
CONUA is a breakaway group from ASUU and registered as an independent union during the tenure of Dr Chris Ngige as a Minister of Labour and Employment since then functioning independently.
The union shared this concern in a statement made available on Monday to Nigerian Tribune by its national President, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, who is a faculty member of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife.
According to him, our attention has been drawn to a letter, dated 4th of April 2025, and addressed to ASUU, stating that the Renegotiation Committee chaired by Dr Yayale Ahmed, a former head of service of the federation has submitted its report on the matter to the federal government.
This development to CONUA, according to Sunmonu, is both surprising and disappointing, particularly on the premise that the union had earlier received a formal letter of invitation from the Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, dated 20th of December 2024, directing the same committee to engage with the union.
But till date, CONUA has not been invited to make any submission or contribution to the renegotiation process,” he noted.
The union then wonders how a committee could disregard the mandate of the Minister who put the committee in place in the first instance for this important assignment.
Sunmonu argued that since the 2009 Agreement was entered into on behalf of all academic staff in Nigerian public universities as at that period, it is expected that the current reality of having three recognized academic unions in the system should have naturally meant that all the stakeholders affected by the decision of the committee were carried along.
“But the exclusion of CONUA, a registered and legitimate union, from such a crucial process undermines principles of fairness, inclusiveness, and democratic engagement, as enshrined in the ILO Convention and ratified by the Federal Government of Nigeria, within the university system,” he stressed.
He argued further that “The renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement is not just about revisiting past commitments, but about shaping the future of academic labour relations, service conditions, and institutional stability in Nigeria’s higher education sector.
“That is why it is grossly inappropriate and untenable for one union to represent the interests of others in a plural union environment, as we currently operate in Nigeria.”
Sunmonu therefore called on the Minister of Education to urgently look into the matter and correct what he described as oversight.
He said this is important because the continued exclusion of CONUA could erode the fragile stability currently enjoyed by the academic system and trigger avoidable discontent among staff.
Sunmonu mentioned that part of the potential backlash that could occur if the minister failed to do that includes the disruption of the relatively smooth academic calendar that the Nigerian public university system has enjoyed over past two years, a feat that has been made possible, in part, “by CONUA’s principled stance on non-disruptive unionism.”
The Federal Government must therefore take urgent steps according to him, to avoid a relapse into instability by ensuring that all duly registered academic unions are recognised and engaged on equal footing, starting from this ongoing policy processes that concern their welfare and working conditions, and going into the future.
He pledged CONUA’s continued commitment to constructive engagement, academic excellence, and sustainable reform in the Nigerian university system.
