on August 20, 2013 at 1:39 pm in News
BY OKEY NDIRIBE
Negotiations between the Federal
Government and the leadership of the
Academic Staff Union of Nigeria Universities
(ASUU) over the on-going strike by
members of the union ended in a deadlock
in Abuja yesterday.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting
which lasted several hours, the Governor of
Benue State Gabriel Suswam who is
Chairman of the Needs Assessment
Implementation Committee set up by the
Federal Government stated that President
Goodluck Jonathan had pledged to
commence release of N100 billion for the
infrastructural development of the
universities from the beginning of
September.
He further stated that due process for the
release of the funds to execute the identified
projects in all federal universities across the
country had already started.
Said he: ” Among the infrastructures that
would be provided are chairs, classrooms,
laboratories , libraries and student hostels.
There would also be renovation of existing
infrastructures and execution of fresh
projects.”
He further stated that ASUU leaders were
members of the the Needs Assessment
Committee adding that they had agreed with
resolutions on how to address the
infrastructural decay in federal universities.
On his part, the Secretary to the Government
of the Federation (SGF) Senator Anyim Pius
Anyim stated that the Federal Government
delegation and ASUU had almost agreed on
all disputed issues adding that the only
outstanding one was that of earned
allowances of academic staff of federal
universities.
He further stated that even though ASUU
had demanded for the release of N87 billion
to settle the outstanding allowances, the
Federal Government had agreed to disburse
the sum of N30 billion to all the universities.
Said he: “However, we cannot determine
what is owed individual lecturers in different
universities. Hence we have agreed that
councils of various universities should
determine how much teachers in the various
institutions are owed”.
However, the President of ASUU Dr. Nasir
Fagge in his own remarks said that the
union still insisted that the Federal
Government should implement the 2009
agreement reached between both parties.
Said he: “If you remember our objective for
going on strike was to get government to
implement the 2009 ASUU/ Federal
Government agreement, particularly the
memorandum of understanding we reached.
I want to say that at today’s (yesterday’s)
meeting, we looked at all the issues in that
MOU and it is clear to us that the the
Governor Suswam committee that is
working on the funding requirement for
rehabilitating the university system based
on the implementation of the needs
assessment report; it is clear to us that that
we have not really gone far in that aspect.
Secondly, remember in our earlier
discussion, we said there are other aspects
of the agreement that were refered to
eitherthe Implemenatation monitoring
committee or the federal ministry of
education. We are yet to commence work on
those aspects.”
He continued: “On the earned academic
allowances, since the government made it
clear that it doesn’t have the money to
implement that aspect, we were made to
understand today that government is going to
consult the universities’ governing councils
and then if there is any need for further
meeting, we would be consulted.
So, on the basis of that, we will also go back
and inform our members on this
development. I think at this point, what the
union is talking about is the implementatioin
of 2009 agreement not the renegotiation of
the agreement.”
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/08/ASUU-fg-negotiation-ends-in-deadlock/