ASUU UPDATES

Parents in the university town of Nsukka have appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to suspend its ongoing strike, considering the setback and suffering it would cause students and their parents. Some of the parents who spoke with newsmen in Nsukka on Friday said that if the strike was allowed to continue, it would alter university academic calendar and make it difficult for students to graduate when they ought to. Mrs. Njideka Ozioko, a secondary school Principal, decried the incessant strikes in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector, describing them as unhealthy development. ASUU strike “It is unfortunate that some students have spent over five years for a course that is supposed to last four years as a result of frequent strikes. “When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers; ASUU should consider students and suspend the strike, while it continues negotiation with government.” She said the union should explore other avenues of ventilating its grievances, maintaining  that strikes adversely affect the academic life of students. Similarly, Mr. Jude Urama, while appealing to the lecturers to suspend the strike, said the government should make education a priority in its programme by treating issues relating to the sector honestly and transparently. “It is unbelievable that government cannot implement agreement it reached with ASUU since 2009. “If government knew it didn’t have the financial muscle to fulfill that agreement, why did it sign the agreement?’’ Urama asked rhetorically. He also appealed to the lecturers to consider the interest of students and parents who are on the receiving end, and suspend the strike, so that final year students could finish up with their examinations. Also commenting, Mrs. Joy Ezeugwu, a Civil Servant, urged the ASUU leadership to give Federal Government more time to meet its demands, in view of the present economic recession in the country. “It is unfortunate that government has been unable to fulfill its own part of the agreement reached with ASUU since 2009. “Education is the engine room that drives economic and technological development of any nation. “Our leaders should learn how to give education its pride of place in order to move this country to the next level,” she said.

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/08/parents-beg-asuu-suspend-ongoing-strike/

The Minister of Education Malam Adamu Adamu yesterday gave indication that the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of (ASUU) would be called off next week.

Speaking during a meeting with the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Adamu said one of the demands by the union for payment of N1.5 billion monthly will be met by Monday next week.

He said ““They asked for N23billion to be paid. But we said the condition for that N23billion to be released was for them to account for the N30billion they had taken, which is a total of N53billion. And they were not able to account for it.

“The Minister of Finance undertook to do the audit from the ministry. And we agreed that the result will be known in six months. During that six months, government undertook to be paying them N1.5billion each month during the time they are waiting for this. And their grouse was the forensic audit promised by the Minister of Finance had not been done and the money promised had not been paid. 

“So, at our meeting two days ago, our agreements were as follows. And we will pay them all and do forensic audit on the entire N53billion. And that is what I tried to do yesterday (Wednesday). I wrote to the Minister of Finance and she has already approved and this money will be paid. Probably, by Monday, they will be able to receive the cheque.” 

The minister however insisted that ASUU’s request for universities to be exempted from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) is not possible.

On salary short fall, he blamed the University authorities for recruiting staff without following due process. 

“Concerning their salary short fall, we said a lot of the reasons spring from what they are doing wrong. They go and do a lot of employment without proper authority.” 

Chairman of the committee, Senator Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano) said “We are happy with your explanation and we hope ASUU will respond positively by calling off the strike.”