Abuja — President Goodluck
Jonathan, yesterday, directed the
two Federal Government
committees negotiating requests
by Academic Staff Union of
Universities, ASUU, to take
immediate measures towards
ending the ongoing strike.
The Chairman of the Universities
Needs Implementation
Committee, Governor Gabriel
Suswam of Benue State, made
this known after a closed-door
meeting of the two committees
and other stakeholders with
President Jonathan at the State
House in Abuja.
Vice-President Namadi Sambo,
Chairman of the Earned
Allowances Committee and
Secretary to the Government of
the Federation, SGF, Senator Pius
Anyim, were in attendance at the
meeting.
Also in attendance were
Ministers of Education, Professor
Ruqayyatu Rufa’i; Labour, Emeka
Wogu; the Executive Secretary of
National Universities Commission,
NUC, Professor Julius Okogie and
Chief of Staff to the President,
Chief Mike Oghiadomhe.
Suswam told newsmen that the
meeting was summoned by the
President “to take some
decisions that would end the
strike.
ASUU STRIKE: From left— Chief
Emeka Wogu, Minister of Labour
and Productivity; Professor
Ruqayyatu Rufa’i, Minister of
Education; Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-
Iweala, Minister of Finance, and
Senator Pius Anyim, Secretary to
the Government of the
Federation, at a meeting with the
Academic Staff Union of
Universities, ASUU, in Abuja,
Monday. PHOTO: Abayomi
Adeshida.
“The President has instructed us
as to what to do, and he has
shown commitment to flagging
off projects worth about N100
billion in all the universities in the
country: about 61 of them.”
FG offers N30bn
Suswam said with the progress
so far made in negotiation, the
strike embarked upon by the
university teachers should be
called off in no distant future,
noting that from its initial
position that there was no
money to meet the demand of
academic staff, government had
offered N30 billion and indicated
its willingness to meet other
demands by ASUU.
He said: “I can say that we have
made substantial progress and
we are hoping that this strike
should be called off based on
some of the mechanisms that we
have put in place to move the
sector forward. We met
extensively yesterday (Monday).
“You know there are two
components to the whole issue:
the needs assessment
component, which is the one
that I’m handling. We have, to a
large extent, concluded on that.
“The other is the earned
allowances committee, which is
being headed by the SGF; that is
where there are some
contentions.
“But as you must have heard,
Federal Government made an
offer of N30 billion to assist the
various councils of our
universities to be able to pay the
earned allowances.
Another N100bn for projects
“There is also N100 billion. That
is why I, the Minister of Finance,
the SGF, ministers of education
and labour, Chief of Staff to the
President and the Vice President
have just risen from a meeting
with the President to take some
decisions that would end the
strike.
“The President has instructed us
on what to do and he has shown
commitment and flagging off a
project worth about N100 billion
in all the universities in the
country.
“So we are hoping that we will
be able to see the end of the
strike very soon if at the end of
the day ASUU is satisfied with the
measures that have so far been
taken.”
Governor Suswam further
revealed that the Federal
Government will also be meeting
with the university councils and
vice chancellors of universities
within the week to update them
on some of the decisions taken
so far.
He said: “The President has
graciously agreed that in the first
week of September he will be
able to flag-off the projects.
“You also know that the
procurement process will have to
be followed and these projects
include hostels in our
universities, classrooms and
theatres, libraries and
laboratories, amongst others.
“Some are renovation, some are
new and all the 61 universities
are going to benefit from one
project or another. So it is not
going to be selective. All the
universities are going to benefit
from this infrastructural
revitalisation of our universities.
“The Federal Government has
opted to also meet with the
councils and managements of
the universities because earned
allowance is something that can
be certified by the management
and councils of the universities.
“I think that the government had
demonstrated some substantial
faith. If ASUU said that this is the
amount of money that the
Federal Government is owing
them and the Federal
Government has shifted ground
from its initial posture of there
was no money to offering N30
billion, it means we are moving
forward.
“With N100 billion available for
addressing the physical
infrastructure deficit in our
universities, I think Federal
Government has done quite well
to have moved to where we are
today.”
APC tasks FG
Meanwhile, All Progressives
Congress, APC, has called on
Federal Government to honour
its agreement with ASUU to end
the ongoing strike that had
paralysed academic activities in
the nation’s public universities.
According to a statement by its
Interim National Publicity
Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
ASUU was not making any fresh
demand beyond the agreement it
reached with the government in
2009, adding “agreements are
meant to be honoured, and
breaching them comes with
some consequences.”
The party said the system had
deteriorated so much that no
Nigerian university was listed in
the top 100 universities in the
world and only a few Nigerian
universities have made the top
100 in Africa.
It said: “The 87 billion naira that
ASUU is demanding represents
earned allowances, hence,
cannot be renegotiated. In any
case, this amount pales into
insignificance when placed side
by side with the one trillion naira
that has been spent on federal
legislators in the past eight years.
“Or the frivolity involved in a
government minister travelling to
China to negotiate a $1 billion
loan in a chartered jet (with its
attendant costs) and with a
retinue of staffers, who earned
generous estacode in hard
currency.
“It is an indication of the kind of
priority that this Federal
Government attaches to
education that while it has
refused to meet its own side of
an agreement it reached with
ASUU since 2009, it could pay out
three trillion naira in non-
existent fuel subsidies to fat cats,
spend 10 billion naira annually to
maintain the jets in the
presidential fleet and do little or
nothing to prevent the stealing
of 400,000 barrels of crude oil
per day, which translates to $120
million.”
Niger Gov blames corruption
In a related development,
Governor Babangida Aliyu of
Niger State, yesterday, blamed
corruption in the public sector
for the collapse of educational
system in Nigeria.
He stated this in Abuja, while
declaring open the 3rd African
Regional Centre of expertise
meeting in Abuja.
The governor said: “Educating
our children is imperative for the
development of our country.
“I strongly believe that Nigeria
can afford to give free education
to its citizens, from primary to
secondary and a highly
subsidised university education
without any lecturer going on
strike.
“If we reduce the amount of
stealing in this country, we
would be able to give quality
education to our children.”
Education Minister reacts
In her address, Professor Rufa’i
said no nation could make
sustainable economic progress
without quality education that
addressed development
challenges.
She said: “Our universities must,
therefore, see themselves as
champions of our desire for
progress and position
themselves as leaders in
addressing problems where they
exist.
“Let me use this opportunity to
reiterate that it is unacceptable,
for example, that a university that
prides itself in the presence and
acknowledge scholarship of
professors of urban planning
would have its campus
surrounded by sprawling slum.
“I, therefore, call on the NUC to
institute means of encouraging
universities to live up to their
community outreach mandates
by engaging in community-
centric research.”

Link>>
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/08/jonathan-orders-immediate-action-to-end-ASUU-strike/

IS THIS THE LATEST TREND IN FASHION/TECHNOLOGY?
www.nairaland.com/1404370/latest-inventions-nubrella-funny-looking-hands-free#17568721

Story, story, story.

Once upon a time, there was a president who ........

I think I know what suswam is doing


and I'm liking him for that


but then

this strike should called off

It's really causing unseen damages

sorry GEj bro ORDERS don't work it's not the military era. do what's appropriate and the strike is gone
tenk yo

All dis one na story dat touch............i want action nt stories. I am tired of staying @ home.

IS THIS THE LATEST TREND IN FASHION/TECHNOLOGY?

www.nairaland.com/1404370/latest-inventions-nubrella-funny-looking-hands-free#17568721

Sexybarbie: All dis one na story dat touch............i want action nt stories. I am tired of staying @ home.

d house tire me pass you o!
Na rush de go kan tk do 2nd sem so!
Nd na so so house chores person jst de do 4 d past weeks .
.....na wa o.!