FG: ASUU May Call Off Strike Next Week

Bolanle Akanji

Moderator
There are indications that the on-going strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities might be called off next Thursday. This is as a result of a breakthrough in negotiations between the two parties on some outstanding issues.

Governor of Benue State, Mr. Gabriel Suswam who dropped this hint Friday, after attending a meeting between the Federal Government’s delegation and ASUU, said ASUU and the Federal Government had reached agreements on all the contentious issues that led to the industrial action except two. These two issues are those of earned allowances of lecturers and intervention for the federal universities.

Suswam who was appointed yesterday as Chairman of the Universities Needs Assessment Implementation Committee of the Federal Government said that after next Thursday’s deliberations between his Committee and the various agencies of government funding tertiary education, all the contentious issues would likely be resolved.

The Benue Governor further said he believed that by next week after his Committee would have arrived at an agreement on all the issues, ASUU would call off the strike.

He further said that the SGF would meet with the leadership of ASUU on the issue of earned allowances by next Monday.

Then his committee which is dealing with the issue of the needs assessment of the universities would meet again next Thursday and take another look at all the infrastructural deficits which the federal universities are facing.

He said: “If you go to our universities, you would agree that they are facing infrastructural deficits and that is why my committee would meet with all the funding agencies next Thursday for the purpose of prioritizing all the projects that need to be executed. We are going to invite all the agencies that are involved in the funding of the universities including the Central Bank of Nigeria.”

Suswam further stated that the issues on agreements have been reached include: those of retirement age for university lecturers- which has now been increased from 65 to 70 years; the constitution of the governing councils of the universities which has already been done by the Government; the setting up of a pension administrator and the issue of persuading companies operating in the country to set up research centers in the universities.

He said: “As far as I am concerned, if the issues concerning intervention and earned allowances are resolved next week, then the strike could be called off”

He clarified that he was not in the position to guarantee the outcome of the strike but that there was the likelihood of it. "It is not in my position to say when the strike will be called off...If all the issues are resolved, what is the need of carrying on with the strike", was his response when asked about the possibility of calling of the strike next week.

Among those who attended the meeting were Secretary to the Government of the Federation Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Minister of Labour, Hon. Emeka Wogu, Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayatu Rufai and President of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr Nasir Fagge.

It would be recalled that the Federal Government set up the Needs Assessment Committee to revitalize the physical infrastructure in the universities, with the aim of enhancing the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) base of the universities. The committee was inaugurated by Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim with Suswam as the Chairman.

"With the expanded IGR, the universities council will be enabled to take care of staff earned-allowances and administrative needs of the universities on sustainable basis", Anyim said.

Other members of the Committee are the acting Executive Secretary of TETFUND as the Vice Chairman, a representative each of the Senate and House of Representative Committee on Education, the Office of the SGF, Academic Staff Union of Universities, Ministry of Finance, the Ministers of Education and Labour and productivity.

Also in the committee are representatives of National Universities Commission NUC, SSANU, NAATS, CBN, NITDA, NCC, NNPC, PTDF and a representative of TETFund, who would serve as the Secretary.
 
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