University lecturers are close to
calling off their one-month-old ASUU strike after reaching a fresh
agreement with the Federal Government on their demands.
Top of the agreement reached at a
15-hour meeting that ended early yesterday in Abuja,is the immediate
release,by government, of N220 billion to the universities to fund the
revitalization of federal universities in the country.
The sum is expected to be paid not later than next month.
The money is to enable the institutions buy working tools needed for effective discharge of their responsibilities.
Representatives of the Academic Staff
Union of Universities (ASUU) are scheduled to present details of the
agreement to the National Executive Council of the union within the next
one week for ratification, and possible calling off of the strike.
Besides, government at the
conciliatory meeting, coordinated by Labour and Employment
Minister,Chris Ngige, agreed to commence the immediate payment of the
salary shortfall to the lecturers.
Ngige told reporters at the end of the
meeting that government had also commenced the payment of the earned
allowances of members of the union.
He said the meeting also discussed how
to set up the National Universities Pension Management Company as well
as the issue of university staff schools and the Treasury Single
Account.
His words: “We also discussed the issue
of university staff schools and treasury single account with a view to
finding how the system could accommodate funds for research grants that
need to be independent of the government. We also discussed the issue of
how the Federal Government could be involved in the running of state
universities.”
He said the meeting agreed to set up a seven-man committee on the implementation of the proposals.
The union and the federal ministry of
education will each be represented by three persons on the committee,
while government will be represented by one person who will serve as
chairman.
Continuing, Ngige said: ”There’s the
fund for revitalization of public universities and the issue of Earned
Academic Allowances; the issue of University Staff Schools on which
there is a court judgment; the issue of National Universities Pension
Management Company; and the issue of salary shortfalls for lecturers and
staff of universities. There is the issue of TSA exemption and the
problems in the state universities. All are the issues that ASUU felt
that government should address.
“Most of these issues stemmed from the
2009 agreement that government had with ASUU and also from the 2013
Memorandum of Understanding that the government had with ASUU.
Government is a continuum. Most of those issues were not issues that
cropped up from the Buhari administration, we inherited them.
“But be that as it may, we are to ready to address those issues.
“But ASUU has to take back this our
proposal to their organs, so we decided that there’s an agreement for
government to make some funds available in September and October to show
that they are not repudiating their agreement and to also show sign of
good faith.
“On the issue of Earned Academic
Allowances, we have listened and payment has started in that direction
and the same with staff schools. Government is though not appealing, we
have agreed that the decision should be conveyed to the various
universities.
“The Issue of NUPENCO was addressed and
ways have been fashioned out for the registration of that company.
Salary shortfalls for lecturers and university staff were also addressed
and government has shown their commitment and evidence that payments
have started in order to liquidate the outstanding allowances.
“The issue of TSA exemption was also
discussed and an agreement or proposal was muted by which the Central
Bank would open a special account.
”State universities which have been
the concern for ASUU and everybody who has been looking for quality
education in the country was also discussed and the Minister of
Education was mandated to take the memo to the council of state and the
Federal Executive Council.
“Based on these discussions, ASUU
leadership will consult with its organs and revert back to government
within one week. They will consult with their organs with a view to
calling off the strike. And we expect them that within one week, they
will get back to government. These are the highlights of the meeting and
I can tell you that the meeting took place in very cordial atmosphere.”
Also speaking, ASUU President, Prof.
Biodun Ogunyemi, said the proposals made by government were concrete but
said the ASUU team would take the offers back to their colleagues for
consideration within the next one week, and the position of the members
would be communicated to government.
He said: “We have had useful
deliberations and we had some concrete proposals that we will take back
to our members as part of our consultations.
“And like the Honorable Minister of Labour has said, we plan to come back here to take decisions as advised by our members.”
Also at the marathon meeting were the
President of the Nigeria Labor Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba and the
Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Ita
Enang.
ASUU embarked on the strike on August
13, following government’s failure to implement the agreement reached
with the union in November 2016.
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