The Federal Government has appointed Dr Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, Pro-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and former Secretary to the Federal Government, as the chairman of the 2009 Re-negotiation Committee for university-based staff.

The committee includes notable members such as Olanrewaju Tejuoso, Prof Nora Daduut, Amb Greg Mbadiwe, and others.

The inauguration took place in Abuja, marking the fourth committee set up in seven years to address demands from the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other university unions. These demands range from salary arrears to the implementation of the 2009 agreement.

ASUU President, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, highlighted this as the latest effort following previous committees led by Wale Babalakin, Munzali Jubril, and Nimi Briggs. However, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of SSANU and NASU expressed concerns over their marginalization in the process, claiming that the focus was predominantly on ASUU, raising fears of bias in upcoming negotiations.