ASUU May Call Off 8-Month Strike After FG Pledges to Pay N70bn
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU’s) meeting with the Nigerian government’s team led by the minister of labour and employment, Chris Ngige, in Abuja, on Friday has yielded positive results, as the teachers’ union has agreed to call off its eight-month strike which started since March.
Consensus was reached at the meeting when government pledged to pay N40bn as the Earned Allowance and N30bn for the revitalisation of the university system bringing the total payment to N70bn.
The FG further agreed to settle the arrears of salaries of the lecturers before December 31.
A week earlier, the federal government accepted the demand by the ASUU that they be exempted from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) pending the approval of their proposed payment system, the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).
ASUU is expected to report the agreement to its organs and then communicate their decision to the government after which a date for the calling off of the strike would be announced.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Ngige said, “Many issues were discussed at the meeting, including salary shortfall, the payment system and revitalisation of the university system. I am positive that all the issues would be resolved at our next meeting.”
The ASUU President, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, simply noted that everything Ngige said was correct and declined further comment.
Share your thoughts on the story ASUU May Call Off 8-Month Strike After FG Pledges to Pay N70bn with Nigerian Sketch in the comments section below.
