FG/ASUU meeting inconclusive..m ay call off strike next Thursday July 27th, 2013 There are indications that the on-going strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities might be called off next Thursday. Governor of Benue State, Mr Gabriel Suswam who dropped this hint Friday said ASUU and the Federal Government had reached agreements on all the contentious issues that led to the industrial action except two. Suswam who was appointed as Chairman of the Needs Assessment Implementation Committee of the Federal Government said after next Thursday’s deliberations between his Committee and the various agencies of government funding tertiary education, all the contentious issues would likely be resolved. Speaking to news men in Abuja after attending a meeting between the Federal Government’s delegation and ASUU, Suswam said that agreements had been reached by both parties on all issues except two. Said he: “We reached agreements on all issues except two. These two issues are those of earned allowances of lecturers and intervention for the federal universities. These are the only issues that are still outstanding.” The Benue Governor further said he believed that by next week after his Committee would have arrived at an agreement on all the issues, ASUU would call off the strike. He continued: ”The SGF would meet with the leadership of ASUU on the issue of earned allowances by next Monday. Then my committee which is dealing with the issue of the needs assessment of the universities would meet again next Thursday and take another look at all the infrastructural deficits which the federal universities are facing. If you go to our universities, you would agree that they are facing infrastructural deficits and that is why my committee would meet with all the funding agencies next Thursday for the purpose of prioritizing all the projects that need to be executed. We are going to invite all the agencies that are involved in the funding of the universities including the Central Bank of Nigeria.” Suswam further stated that the issues on agreements have been reached include: those of retirement age for university lecturers- which has now been increased from 65 to 70 years; the constitution of the governing councils of the universities which has already been done by the Government; the setting up of a pension administrator and the issue of persuading companies operating in the country to set up research centers in the universities. Said he: “As far as I am concerned, if the issues concerning intervention and earned allowances are resolved next week, then the strike could be called off” Among those who attended the meeting were Secretary to the Government of the Federation Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Minister of Labour, Hon. Emeka Wogu, Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayatu Rufai and President of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr Nasir Fagge. A meeting between the Federal Government and striking university lecturers on Friday was again inconclusive. The Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, who was drafted to intervene in the face-off between the government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), told newsmen that there were still outstanding issues to be resolved next week for ASUU to call off the strike. The two knotty issues according to him, are earned allowance and funding of university education in view of the infrastructure deficit in the system. He added that all other issues raised by ASUU had been agreed on apart from the two issues pending. Suswam, however, disclosed that while the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, would meet with ASUU leadership on Monday to resolve the issue of the earned allowance, he and members of implementation committee on Needs Assessment Committee would also meet with ASUU next Thursday to finalise issues on funding. The governor expressed optimism that all the pending issues would be resolved next week for the union to call off the strike. He admitted the decay and rot in universities, stressing that his committee would ensure that there was sustained funding of universities in Nigeria. Earlier in his opening remark at the meeting, Senator Anyim expressed determination of the Federal Government to ensure that the issues were resolved for the lecturers to return to classroom. He said: “Our meeting today is blessed with injection of new hands, new faces and new minds. It is expected that our meeting today will be fruitful because we would have more hands helping us to resolve what is outstanding. “You might also recalled that the implementation committee of Needs Assessment Report to Nigerian universities was just inaugurat
Posted on: Sat, 27 Jul 2013 07:27:38 +0000
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