By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
THE Federal Government yesterday faulted claims by the President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities ( ASUU), Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi that the government had failed to deliver on the timelines on offers made to the union.

ASUU was quoted to have said that University teachers cannot return to classes on “ empty stomach.”

But the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, who dismissed the claims by ASUU, said that while it was true that some of the offers made to ASUU have timelines, the same timelines have faithfully been complied with.

A statement from the Minister’s media office said, “For instance, the Federal Government promised to constitute a Negotiation Committee for the 2009 Agreement and has fulfilled it with the last week’s inauguration of the committee that has Prof. Muzali as chairman.

“ The N40b Earned Academic Allowances/ Earned Allowances have also been processed just as the N30b revitalization Fund, bringing it to a total of N70b.

“ Likewise, the Visitation Panels for the Universities have been approved by the President but the panel cannot perform its responsibilities until the shut universities are re-opened.

“The gazetting is also being rounded off at the Office of Attorney General of the Federation while the Ministry of Education is ready to inaugurate the various visitation panels.

“Similarly, Government agreed to pay salaries, allowances of Earned Academic Allowances/ Earned Allowances with a hybrid platform that is not hundred percent IPPIS as requested by ASUU while UTAS is undergoing usability and integrity test at National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) as demanded by ASUU.

“I, therefore, state without equivocation that every offer with a timeline has been faithfully fulfilled as promised by the government .”

The Minister noted that it is false and discomforting for ASUU to wrongly inform the general public that the Federal Government agreed to pay all withheld salaries before it will resume work.

“The truth of the matter is that a ‘Gentleman Agreement’ was reached at the last meeting in which ASUU agreed to call off the strike before December 9, 2020, and the Minister, in turn, agreed that once the strike is called off, he would get a presidential waiver for ASSU to be paid the remainder of their salaries on or before December 9, 2020 .”

Part of the proposal ASUU took back on November 27, 2020, reads, “ the Hon Minister of Labour and Employment informed that he had consulted with the Hon Minister of Education on getting a waiver on the issue of No Work, No Pay as stipulated in Sec. 43 of the Trade Dispute Act, Cap T8, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria( LFN )2004, but a reservation has been made concerning this request because of the ongoing strike by ASUU. The HML&E, therefore, agreed to work on this to be actualized before Wednesday, December 9, 2020.

“ For the avoidance of doubt and for clarity, it should be stated that ASUU began warning strike on March 9, 2020, and went into full-blown industrial action on the 23rd of the same month over IPPIS payment platform.

“With the lockdown at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Minister got special presidential approval to demonstrate good faith to ASUU members that government is not on a vengeful mission or out to starve ASUU to death as some of them are claiming.

“They were subsequently paid for two months of February and March after which it was extended to April, May, and June, months they were on strike on compassionate ground, bringing it to five months.

“This was done because of the Covid-19 pandemic and its deleterious effects on incomes of all workers and their families as government reasoned that ASUU members also have families.

“The Minister later invited ASUU to a virtual conciliatory meeting which they turned down. He further requested them to show good faith over the five months salaries the government made to them by returning to the classroom and start virtual and online teaching as being done by private universities, while the government sorts out the rest of their requests, they also refused.

“ It is therefore unbelievable that ASUU President claimed that government agreed to pay outright, the entire money of the period of the strike to them, even for staying at home and refusing to do either virtual teaching or research.

“ I wish to emphasize further that the outstanding salaries to ASUU are for the month of July, August, September, and October as no federal public servant has been paid for November 2020.

“Hence, it is baseless for ASUU to claim it cannot go back to school on an empty stomach while the government has on compassionate grounds, paid five months salaries out of the nine months they have been on strike.

“ASUU is fully aware of the principle of No Work, No Pay of the Sec. 43 of the Trade Disputes Act under which many unions like National Association of Residents Doctors( NARD) in 2017 and Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) in 2018 among others have lost salaries as a result of the strike.

“ It is consequently important to inform Nigerians, especially parents that Federal Government is asking ASUU to go back to work and when they do, the Ministers of Labour, Finance, and Education will put up a memo to deal with the outstanding four months of salaries.

“Asking the government to pay these four months before it goes back to work, means ASUU is placing itself above the law of the land and no government will encourage, it as it is a recipe for chaos in the labour milieu.

“ Finally, the Federal Government will continue to engage ASUU in the spirit of social dialogue which the Ministry of Labour and Employment has been encouraging based on the ILO Principle on decent work.”

https://www.google.com.ng/amp/s/www.vanguardngr.com/2020/12/strike-weve-kept-our-promises-with-ASUU-fg/amp/

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Processed or paid

This government is very insincere and wicked to it's citizen. So the plight of students means nothing to them so long as they are not affected.

How have you kept your promises without paying ASUU people their entitlements. I'm beginning to think that FG had no intention of settling the dispute with ASUU this year. Ngige was only dribbling them, sending them on a wild goose chase.

If I'm ASUU, by next year, I won't shift grounds on any of my demands and they must be fulfilled to the later. Even the said revitalization money should not be reduced by any value. Since FG wants to leverage on the coming Christmas celebrations to see whether ASUU would bend. Very wicked and selfish government that doesn't give a damn about educating her citizens.

inteli:
This government is very insincere and wicked to it's citizen. So the plight of students means nothing to them so long as they are not affected.

How have you kept your promises without paying ASUU people their entitlements. I'm beginning to think that FG had no intention of settling the dispute with ASUU this year. Ngige was only dribbling them, sending them on a wild goose chase.
If I'm ASUU, by next year, I won't shift grounds on any of my demands and they must be fulfilled to the later. Even the said revitalization money should not be reduced by any value. Since FG wants to leverage on the coming Christmas celebrations to see whether ASUU would bend. Very wicked and selfish government that doesn't give a damn about educating her citizens.

Ngige is trying very hard to outsmart the academicians cunningly. Very crooked Polithiefcian.
Does the money that will be used to pay these poor lecturers belong to anyone's father or grandfather? It's sad that Polithiefcians don't take us serious in this country.

COPIED... HAHAHAHA. NIGERIANS ARE CRAZY

FG VS ASUU: Cunning Man Die, Shrewd Man Bury Am...

FG: ASUU call off the strike

ASUU: Honor our agreements. Start with payment of salaries.

FG: We will do that b4 December 9. Just call off the strike.

ASUU: You made similar promise to JOHESU. Till date you haven't paid them the April & May salaries as promised.

FG: We assure you, your salaries would be paid b4 December 9.

ASUU: Be assured, we will call of the strike b4 December 9.

DECEMBER 9, 2020

FG: We had a gentleman agreement with ASUU to announce the suspension of its strike.

ASUU: Honour your words. Pay.

FG: We have processed everything na
ASUU: Oya pay na...


How can one trust this government. Even one week old agreement, they can't honour.

Wahala for who never learn work.

Sandydayziz:
Wahala for who never learn work.

Uniben or AAU were do u school?

Wahala for who never learn work.

inteli:
This government is very insincere and wicked to it's citizen. So the plight of students means nothing to them so long as they are not affected.

How have you kept your promises without paying ASUU people their entitlements. I'm beginning to think that FG had no intention of settling the dispute with ASUU this year. Ngige was only dribbling them, sending them on a wild goose chase.

If I'm ASUU, by next year, I won't shift grounds on any of my demands and they must be fulfilled to the later. Even the said revitalization money should not be reduced by any value. Since FG wants to leverage on the coming Christmas celebrations to see whether ASUU would bend. Very wicked and selfish government that doesn't give a damn about educating her citizens.

I must commend you because you said it all

Make una calm down o

Tony142:





Uniben or AAU were do u school?

Lol what was the tell?
AAU

Sandydayziz:

Lol what was the tell?
AAU

I do not understand, what do u mean by what was the tell?


I school in AAU too, I saw Benin and ekpoma in your profile that was why I was asking were u school, OK, which of the side , college or campus?

Tony142:




I do not understand, what do u mean by what was the tell?


I school in AAU too, I saw Benin and ekpoma in your profile that was why I was asking were u school, OK, which of the side , college or campus?

Yeah I was asking how you knew. Collegian

Sandydayziz:

Yeah I was asking how you knew. Collegian

Lol, i am in college of medicine too, alright, drop your WhatsApp number let me look for your trouble small #smile

Next Level

me I'm still waiting for ASUU response to this coz we dunno who is deceiving who.

Ngige is a fool. Posterity will judge him.

Though I didn't read the whole story.

The way Federal Government handle education with levity baffles me.

Awon oloriburuku gbogbo