ASUU Strike: FG To Meet University Councils Akin Akande, Abuja Determined to find a lasting solution to the ongoing strike embarked by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Federal Government will in a matter of days hold a meeting with the managements and councils of universities across the country. This follows a directive by President Goodluck Jonathan on to the two Federal Government committees negotiating the requests by Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), to take immediate measures at ending the on- going strike The Federal Government had on Monday offered N30 billion as part of the N92 billion needed to settle the lecturers’ earned allowances, which the union is yet to accept. Disclosing plan for the meeting on Tuesday, Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, said that the Federal Government would not increase the N30 billion it had offered but would rather meet the 61 universities to verify those who have earned the said allowances and discuss how to pay them with the N30 billion on ground. This, the governor said, was the outcome of the meeting held between himself, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim; the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala; Minister of Education, Professor Ruqquayatu Rufai; her counterpart in Labour, Emeka Wogu; Vice President Namadi Sambo and President Jonathan at the State House on Monday. Suswam, who noted that the government had done enough for ASUU to call off the strike action, added that the N100 billion infrastructure support to all the universities would be flagged off by President Goodluck Jonathan in the first week of September. Said Suswan: “I can say that we have made substantial progress and we are hoping that this strike should be called off based on some of the mechanisms that we have put in place to move the sector forward. We met extensively yesterday (Monday). “You know there are two components to the whole issue, the needs assessment component, which s the one that I’m handling, we have to some large extent concluded on that, the earned allowance committee, which is being headed by the SGF, that is where there are some contentions, but as you must have heard, the Federal Government made an offer of N30 billion to assist the various Councils of our universities to be able to pay the earned allowances. “There is also N100 billion that is why myself, the Minister of Finance, the SGF, the ministers of education, labour, the Chief of Staff and the VP have just risen from a meeting to take some decisions that would end the strike and the President has instructed us as to what to do and he has shown a lot of commitments and flagging off a project worth about N 1 00 billion in all the universities in the country about 61 of them. “So we are hoping that we will be able to see the end of the strike very soon if at the end of the day ASUU is satisfied with the measures that have so far been taken. The federal government will also be meeting with the university councils and vice chancellors of our universities within the week towards updating them on some of the decisions taken,” he said. He said further: “The President has graciously agreed that in the first week of September he will be able to flag-off the projects. You also know that the procurement process will have to be followed and these projects includes hostels in our universities, classrooms and theaters, libraries and laboratories amongst others, some are renovation some are new and all the 61 universities are going to benefit from one project or another, so it is not going to be selective, all the universities are going to benefit from this infrastructural revitalization of our universities. Asked if the Federal Government would consider shifting ground on its offer since ASUU had rejected the N30 billion he said: “Well let me say that negotiation is still on going, the federal government has opted to also meet with the Councils and managements of the universities because earned allowance is something that can be certified by the management and councils of the universities? “The Federal Government said it is assisting the university councils with the sum of N30 billion for them to go and verify the people who actually earn these allowances and pay them. I think that the government had demonstrated some substantial faith. “Yes, if ASUU said that this is the amount of money that the FG is owing them and the FG has shifted ground from its initial posture of there was no money to offering N30 billion, it means we are moving forward and with a N100 billion available now for addressing the physical infrastructure deficit in our universities, I think the federal government has done quiet well to have moved to where we are today,” he added.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 20:11:31 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015