₦airaland Forum

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared that it would never believe the claim by the Federal Government to have released N50 billion to settle earned allowances of academic and non-academic staff unions of federal universities until its members begin to receive bank alerts to the effect.

National president of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, stated this in an exclusive interview with the Nigerian Tribune at the weekend.

Recall that the Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, made a public statement that went viral last week, announcing the release of N50 billion by the government to settle unpaid earned allowances of federal university workers nationwide.

But the ASUU president, when asked for his reaction, said the union, based on past experiences, had learnt its lesson never to believe Nigerian government on pages of newspapers until concrete evidence is on the table concerning the issue at stake.


According to him, “We heard the information through the media just like every other Nigerian as there is no official communication yet to us on the matter.


“Though we had a verbal communication with the Minister of Education few days ago on the matter, it is not enough conviction to us.”

He explained reasons for not having trust in government, saying, “It is a common practice for successive governments in Nigeria to make promises and not fulfill them.”

He said it baffled the union that the Federal Government could be celebrating the release of money for earned allowances as if it is the major issue it needed to address.

He said the earned allowance is just one out of many issues and even at that, the N50 billion can only settle two out of eight years’ being owed.


He explained that ASUU had been asking successive governments to first conclude on the issue of renegotiation of their 2009 agreement, capturing new salary scale and allowances for all university workers, injection of revitalisation funds, and so forth and then talk about what ASUU members can forfeit as regards allowances on their part out of the eight years’ arrears as a sacrifice.


“So, ASUU has made it known to government to pay two years while we may decide to forgo the rest six years, but government has not done anything in that regard to date,” Osodeke noted.

Highlighting various renegotiation committees constituted by the Federal Government in the past and on the same issues, he named the ones headed by Dr Wale Babalakin, Professor Nimi Briggs, and lately, Dr Yayale Ahmed.

He said each committee assignment ended the same way with no positive outcome, especially for ASUU.

According to him, government representatives always tell ASUU that it will report back to their principals and then come back with government offer to form the basis of a fresh agreement for signatory.

“But that usually be the end of such effort for each committee as they won’t come back till another one is constituted for a round of fresh discussion,” he said, stressing, “That has been the tactics of government over the years.”


He explained that the last committee, headed by Dr Yayale Ahmed, concluded with the union since November 2024 but that up till now five full months after nothing to show for the effort.

Sharpsharp00123:
that's what Igbos don't understand

Just imagine el rufai is now an outsider in APC whereas orubebe is now an APC chieftain but Igbos believe too much in bitter politics n permanent enemy n that's y everyone has left them behind to their hate

Sharpsharp00123:
Igbo man's thinking

Obiedun:
Obi is not fit to be president. The religious war he was planning to fight in 2023 has even revealed who he is. He is not emotionally balanced

Obiedun:
Go and bring him out to contest. He will be flogged like a baby.

AfeezShomorin:
Tinubu will be your president till 203127, the earlier you accept it the better for you

jmoore:
The problem with babablu bulabu bots is that they always keep scoring own goals.



Tinubu was governor from 1999-2007. Tinubu has already spent 4 years as Lagos state governor and poverty rate of Lagos was 69.4% which is approximately 70% as indicated by the NBS report of 2003-04.

Tinubu was not governor in 2009-10.


NBS didn't release any absolute poverty data rate in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 when Obi was still governor.

Peter Obi was governor between 2006 and 2014.

What was the poverty rate in 2006 before he became governor? Your yeye fact check didn't say.

The only thing from the data is that in 2009-2010 poverty rate in Anambra under Obi was 53.7% while 2003-2004 poverty rate in Lagos under Tinubu was 69.4%.

So between 53.7% and 69.4%, which is better?

Tinubu has even broken his own record. He has made more Nigerians poorer when he was sworn in as president.

iichidodo:
[color=#1986BC] That's just like rating a Ferrari Lamborghini with a Volkswagen Golf 2. One was a minister that masterminded an economic prosperity that Nigeria has ever encountered in 50 years, while the other one midwifed an epic collapse.....Nuff said. [/color]

Kobojunkie:
Building buffers in the air, right? 😩😩😩😩

favor914:
Wrong, President Tinubu did not remove Petroleum subsidy, all he did was proclaim it during his inauguration, an act of legislation passed by your representatives in parliament in 2021, aka The Petroleum Industry Act removed Petroleum subsidy.

favor914:
Roberto u know better than that, Tinubu this, Tinubu that, please who is the governor of your state, can u please mention just one thing your state government has done for u since 2019 to better your existence?

Some years ago na buhari be your problem, today president Tinubu is the cause of your anguish, what kind of hypocrisy are you purporting to exhibit?

favor914:
Roberto Carlos if u no mention Tinubu just for 1 day, u no go rest?