By Franklin Onwubiko
Ambassador Greg Mbadiwe, Pro-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, has been appointed to the Federal Government’s newly inaugurated committee to renegotiate the 2009 agreements with university-based unions, including ASUU. It is hoped that Amb Mbadiwe will bring his extensive experience in education administration and diplomacy to bear in this all-important committee.
The committee, chaired by Prof. Yayale Ahmed, is expected to conclude its work within three months. Speaking at the inauguration, Prof. Ahmed noted that the task should be guided by “patriotism and sincerity of purpose,” emphasizing the need to review the 2009 agreement to reflect current realities. He urged all stakeholders, including ASUU, to cooperate for the betterment of the university system.
ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, expressed hope that this committee would succeed where previous ones had failed. He reaffirmed ASUU’s readiness for renegotiation, saying, “We will provide all necessary documents and work together to ensure a better future for our universities, where all students, regardless of background, can learn together as it used to be in the 1960s.”