awodman:
Have you not heard about the Special Funds Accounts which is solely at the discretion of the presidency?..

Meanwhile if you insist that the money must be appropriated by NASS before it can be made available..then why is ASUU with supposed educated members insisting that govt must open this account and credit it within two weeks..If they know this simple fact doesn't it justify the position of govt that ASUU is been pushed?..

Also if you insist the money must be appropriated..then doesn't this show of proof by govt that the account has been opened and the modalities for disbursement is been worked out not enough for ASUU to call this strike off..or are you suggesting that this strike should be called off in 2014 when the budget must have been passed and signed by the president?

Pls you guys should stop shooting yourself on the foot

Sincere 9gerian:
That is absolute thrash. Why didn't ASUU get inputs from its state chapters before going into the meeting with President? Why didn't ASUU harmonize its position before going into the meeting with the president? The essence of the 13-hour meeting with the president was to resolve and agree on ALL issues. That essence is defeated if ASUU will be going back and forth like little kids.

Anyway, discussing this issue with you is like speaking to the deaf. You support this strike simply because it is in the political interest of Tinubu to continue the strike. I'm done with you.

awodman:
Have you not heard about the Special Funds Accounts which is solely at the discretion of the presidency?..

Meanwhile if you insist that the money must be appropriated by NASS before it can be made available..then why is ASUU with supposed educated members insisting that govt must open this account and credit it within two weeks..If they know this simple fact doesn't it justify the position of govt that ASUU is been pushed?..

Also if you insist the money must be appropriated..then doesn't this show of proof by govt that the account has been opened and the modalities for disbursement is been worked out not enough for ASUU to call this strike off..or are you suggesting that this strike should be called off in 2014 when the budget must have been passed and signed by the president?

Pls you guys should stop shooting yourself on the foot

Sincere 9gerian: Tinubu dogs are ready to give up their life to see this strike continue because of POLITICS, nothing more. I just admire the patience of this president in tolerating all these nonsense.

Sincere 9gerian:
After the 13 hours meeting with the president, the president proposed to ASUU that they should have an MOU on all the areas agreed by both parties and that the MOU should be signed by both parties. But ASUU leadership refused this proposal but rather said they preferred a letter of comfort from the govt on what govt has offered so they can take the letter to their state branches.

Part of the agreement reached after the 13 hours meeting with president was that ASUU will call off the strike within one week. But over 3 weeks after, the strike has still not been called off and now the same ASUU that rejected an MOU in front of the president has now made MOU one of the reasons it has not called off the strike.

Sincere 9gerian:

ASUU has failed to call off it strike within one week as they agreed with the president, but ASUU is asking the FG to pay N200 billion which the govt promised to pay this December. Notwithstanding that ASUU failed to keep its side of the agreement, FG has kept its side of paying N200 billion into an account.

Sincere 9gerian:
1. GEJ is the first president to sit with ASUU in a negotiation

Sincere 9gerian:

4. GEJ is the first president who has to release funds before a strike is called off. In the past, once an agreement is reached, labour unions call of their strike.

Sincere 9gerian:
5. GEJ is the only president that had to make 3 different offers to ASUU and yet the strike has not been called off. The FG committee headed by governor Suswan made the first offer, that was followed by the offer by the vice president of Nigeria and then the last offer was made by the president himself.

Sincere 9gerian:
So what are the "sins" this president that he has to be treated differently from past presidents?

Sincere 9gerian:
His only "sin" is where he comes from, nothing more. This is very unfortunate for our country.

texazzpete:

You 'admire the patience of the President'?
Can someone PLEASE inform this insincere clown that this is a democracy?! The President's patience has nothing to do with anything here.
Nigerians are the ones to be commended for tolerating many of the anti-people agenda of the FG.



Why would ASUU call off the strike in the meeting with the President without consulting with the wider body of ASUU? You seem clueless about this system. This is not a gathering of low lifes you can tempt with a brown envelope. The people who met with the President aren't impressed by the glamour of Aso Rock. These are highly educated people we're talking about. You think a meeting with the President was enough to make them call it off there and then?

They want the MOU signed by the Attorney General of the Federation without delay. This is an easy, no-brainer solution. The last time they signed an agreement, the FG went around claiming it was not signed by a permanent secretary. The Senate President claimed the head of the FG negotiation team was not of sound mind.

In short, by casting doubts about the signatories of the 2009 negotiation, the FG brought this stubborn insistence of ASUU for ratification at the highest levels upon themselves. Even a 10 year old can see this. I know you're intelligent enough to see this, so I will conclude (not for the first time) that you have been paid sums of money to propagate this disgraceful opinions on Nairaland.




It's not about paying 200bn Naira in 2013. ASUU needs the assurance that 200bn will be paid in 2014 too, and 2015, and 2016 as agreed. We need that assurance. Failure of the FG to implement this is highly suspicious.




What the heck is this shyte?! Does this deserve a cookie? Sane minds are wondering why it took him 4 months to personally intervene. He had no reason himself to sit at the meeting. There is an education minister who GEJ should have been supervising to do this work. In any sane climate, the Education minister should have been relieved of his job months ago.
Bottom line is, GEJ found more use out of the Education minister in battling Amaechi than to actually solve the ASUU strike.





The funds in question are OWED allowances. Owing ASUU already is a form of Governmental theft. Does the FG require cookies for the rare occasion when they do the right thing?




It is called a 'negotiation'. When you are 'negotiating', you keep putting forward offers until a compromise is reached. Have the bundles of N1000 notes put in your pockets clouded your command of the English language?

For all intents and purposes, ASUU has accepted the last compromise offer by the FG. All they require is proper and bulletproof ratification and a signed and sealed pledge that the brave lecturers who have now obtained significant funding for our Universities will not be victimized for this. They should be lauded as heroes, but that is a separate discussion entirely.



I know many on Nairaland are young people, but anyone who is 30 and above here will remember that every single President we've had for well over 2 decades has had to content with ASUU strikes. Abacha, babangida, Obasanjo, Yar'Adua...I'm not sure why you're trying to revise history.
Perhaps this is a clear indication that crisp naira notes can cloud the memory?




Can you STOP this nauseating tribal politics here?


PS: Thank God you can never accuse ME of being one of the 'Tinubu dogs' or 'APC sympathizers' as you like to babble on about. I am on record here when I've seriously lambasted the likes of Fashola and Tinubu multiple times. Unlike you, I am a patriot.

take dat: Government cannot withdraw from any 'Special Funds Accounts which is solely at the discretion of the President'. They will have to withdraw it from the Federation Account because state universities are also beneficiaries.


Don't play ignorance here bro! Haven't you heard of 'Supplementary Budget' before? Let the Government submit a supplementary appropriation bill to the NA and ask that it must be expeditiously passed within a week.

If you can remember, just two or three weeks to the end of 2012, Government submitted a supplementary appropriation bill of N162billion to the NA for payment of fuel subsidy and it was passed into law within a week without the NA debating it. Why is it difficult to do same with the N200billion universities' fund? Is it because the N162billion was for 'friends of Government' ie the cabal, and this N200billion for public universities revitalization is for the poor? It can be done!

Sincere 9gerian:
There is no point having further conversation on this matter with Tinubu slaves who see this strike as part of the instruments of making the country ungovernable for a president they hate so much. Channelstv has already taken a position on the ASUU strike after listening to all parties and giving all of the parties opportunities to air their view. And I think that position is fair to all parties. From all indications everyone, including Channelstv have had enough, except Tinubu slaves. Bye!

Sincere 9gerian:
There is no point having further conversation on this matter with Tinubu slaves heir view... Bye!

texazzpete:

I blasted Tinubu over the Lagos Doctor Strikes, over the Lekki tollgates and over his comments about sacking Lagos doctors. I used even more vitriolic words than I use these days. I've taken Fashola to task over these same issues.

I guess in the world you inhabit, someone MUST always be a sponsor. Someone must always take one side or the other.

All I care about is making Nigeria better for my kids to live in. If that involves calling out traitors like yourself, so be it

awodman:
Withdraw from federation account...can you withdraw from Federation account without governors approval?..where governors part of the negotiations?

Though I agree with your view of a supplementary budget but pls leave fuel issue out of this..Fuel is far greater than any of ASUU demands because right now it is the foundation on which our economy stands including education

Sincere 9gerian:
Just to make this final point. I have already proposed a solution to the problems in our universities. And in that solution, there is no role for ASUU, which in my opinion, is part of the problem. Unfortunately, the current fight between ASUU and govt is not part of the solution. The govt is on the wrong path and ASUU is part of the problem.

Under the current structure, injection of N200 billion or whatever billion will not yield the desired result. In fact, some of the N200 billion may actually go into funding and exacerbating the problem.

So for me, I'm not excited about either the position of govt or ASUU. The first step the govt and people of Nigeria must take if we truely want our universities to be great is re-structuring of these schools. Post-restructuring ASUU will automatically be dead as the universities will now have full autonomy. All labour disputes will be resolved locally. Govt can then provide students loans and burseries to support students who are unable to cope with school fees. Govt can still provide research grants to support these universities.

And for this to happen, we must all agree that the current structure is unworkable and that no amount pumped into it will make it work. So I'm afraid, the ongoing ASUU 5-month strike is another WASTED period in the life of our youths and until we get the structures right, we should get ready for another strike as soon as the current one is called off.

Osgilliat: SPace booked....I was here first.

Love_Decay:

Shut up... Everything GEJ does, equals "ATTEMPTS" .

He never succeeds, its always the presido is the first to but, the presidio signed but, the Presido decided but

You entire post is a load of crap. He is the first to do this, he is the first to do that.... But what has he achieved, no legacy... No milestones, no victories

I would also like to bring to the public's notice, that : our presidio and his cohorts can't even construct descent sentences. The statements they make are always full of, that, the, that, and, that, more that's, and the

Arrant nonsense. Once again Mr.man shut up.

touch4mony: is i am GEJ will sack all those ASUU criminal in the 1st month of the strike so by now the new lecturers must have been granded with the university system.there are many youths out the who luv this their job more than they do and can lecture beta than some of those ASUU thiefs

Demdem: Only fools will believe the dog Okupe.
Let's wait and hear Sanusi tells us that not only was an account created, but the said sum is there and disbursement efforts are ongoing.
Till then, strike continues.

Sincere 9gerian: Tinubu dogs are ready to give up their life to see this strike continue because of POLITICS, nothing more. I just admire the patience of this president in tolerating all these nonsense.

After the 13 hours meeting with the president, the president proposed to ASUU that they should have an MOU on all the areas agreed by both parties and that the MOU should be signed by both parties. But ASUU leadership refused this proposal but rather said they preferred a letter of comfort from the govt on what govt has offered so they can take the letter to their state branches.

Part of the agreement reached after the 13 hours meeting with president was that ASUU will call off the strike within one week. But over 3 weeks after, the strike has still not been called off and now the same ASUU that rejected an MOU in front of the president has now made MOU one of the reasons it has not called off the strike.

ASUU has failed to call off it strike within one week as they agreed with the president, but ASUU is asking the FG to pay N200 billion which the govt promised to pay this December. Notwithstanding that ASUU failed to keep its side of the agreement, FG has kept its side of paying N200 billion into an account.

See all the first in the ongoing ASUU versus FG face off:

1. GEJ is the first president to sit with ASUU in a negotiation

2. GEJ is the first president who on his own set up a committee to go round and assess the infrastructural decay in our universities. This was called the NEEDS assessment.

3. GEJ is the first political leader to sit with labour unions in a 13-hour meeting.

4. GEJ is the first president who has to release funds before a strike is called off. In the past, once an agreement is reached, labour unions call of their strike.

5. GEJ is the only president that had to make 3 different offers to ASUU and yet the strike has not been called off. The FG committee headed by governor Suswan made the first offer, that was followed by the offer by the vice president of Nigeria and then the last offer was made by the president himself.

Despite all of these efforts, the strike is still on.

So what are the "sins" this president that he has javascript:void(0);to be treated differently from past presidents? His only "sin" is where he comes from, nothing more. This is very unfortunate for our country.

texazzpete:


As long as this PDP FG sticks to their signed agreement (for once!), there will be no more strikes for the near and mid term.
ASUU is the best thing that has ever happened to Nigerian Universities. Without ASUU, Professors would have still been earning N150k per month. This is Nigeria; Nobody gives it to you...you have to take it!

Go and find out how much Govt pays as research grants to the Universities. A pittance. There are way more than 2 million students in our Universities...you whine and complain about Government not being able to raise money yet you are blissfully silent on where the funding for these loans and bursaries are to come from? Our tax money?

You claim the strike period is a 'wasted period'. Whose fault? Is there truly ANYTHING in the current FG offer (which looks likely to be accepted) that could not have been offered 4 months ago? Would the strike have been ended months ago if only the President and FEC cared about this troubling situation?
Yes, you claim the strike period is a 'wasted period'. Well, N200bn yearly can pump N4bn per year in each university for capital projects. 4bn can put in place several standard labs, upgrade libraries...that sum can blanket a University with Wireless internet for student research. You could set up a power plant for internal power generation with some of that money.

Increased allowances to the lecturers helps tremendously in making the terms and conditions of employment more palatable. Universities are locked in a constant battle to retain top talent for lecturing...you know how many first class graduates are sitting down behind counters in Zenith Bank et al as cashiers?

at the end of the day, the true test will be when your President can feel comfortable enough to send some of these repentant millitants to revamped schools in Nigeria for their post Amnesty training. It is still a great shame for the giant of Africa to send ex-militants to obscure places when we can put such schools of training here in Nigeria. Let him set the ball rolling by investing more in our Universities.

I know you've been given a sheet of talking points, but for once, can't you break the script and see the immense danger we're in when we fail to uplift our Universities?

Arguing with you is rather depressing.

Demdem: Only fools will believe the dog Okupe.
Let's wait and hear Sanusi tells us that not only was an account created, but the said sum is there and disbursement efforts are ongoing.
Till then, strike continues.

Sincere 9gerian: Tinubu dogs are ready to give up their life to see this strike continue because of POLITICS, nothing more. I just admire the patience of this president in tolerating all these nonsense.

After the 13 hours meeting with the president, the president proposed to ASUU that they should have an MOU on all the areas agreed by both parties and that the MOU should be signed by both parties. But ASUU leadership refused this proposal but rather said they preferred a letter of comfort from the govt on what govt has offered so they can take the letter to their state branches.

Part of the agreement reached after the 13 hours meeting with president was that ASUU will call off the strike within one week. But over 3 weeks after, the strike has still not been called off and now the same ASUU that rejected an MOU in front of the president has now made MOU one of the reasons it has not called off the strike.

ASUU has failed to call off it strike within one week as they agreed with the president, but ASUU is asking the FG to pay N200 billion which the govt promised to pay this December. Notwithstanding that ASUU failed to keep its side of the agreement, FG has kept its side of paying N200 billion into an account.

See all the first in the ongoing ASUU versus FG face off:

1. GEJ is the first president to sit with ASUU in a negotiation

2. GEJ is the first president who on his own set up a committee to go round and assess the infrastructural decay in our universities. This was called the NEEDS assessment.

3. GEJ is the first political leader to sit with labour unions in a 13-hour meeting.

4. GEJ is the first president who has to release funds before a strike is called off. In the past, once an agreement is reached, labour unions call of their strike.

5. GEJ is the only president that had to make 3 different offers to ASUU and yet the strike has not been called off. The FG committee headed by governor Suswan made the first offer, that was followed by the offer by the vice president of Nigeria and then the last offer was made by the president himself.

Despite all of these efforts, the strike is still on.

So what are the "sins" this president that he has to be treated differently from past presidents? His only "sin" is where he comes from, nothing more. This is very unfortunate for our country.