BY TEMI OHAKWE, ABUJA – The Federal Government has offered the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) N20 billion for the revitilisation of public universities across the country.
The approved fund is however payable by the end of January 2021.
This was as the Federal Government through the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) in response to the demand by ASUU for the payment of the Earned Allowance due from 2019, totalling N40 billion, announced its commitment to the release of N30 billion on or before November 6, 2020.
These were made known in a statement made available to journalists by the Federal Ministry of Labour after a reconciliatory meeting held on Thursday 15th October.
The meeting which was a follow up to the previous one held with the Senate leadership on Tuesday, where the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige stated government’s commitment to engaging ASUU and other stakeholders to sort out all outstanding issues.
Ngige said that the Federal Government, in spite of the economic downturn as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, brought an offer of N20 billion payable by the end of January 2021 for which ASUU agreed to take to its members for consideration and revert back by Wednesday October 21, 2020.”
The President of ASUU, Biodun Ogunyemi, who led the representatives of the lecturers’ union agreed to take the offer to its members for consideration and revert by Wednesday 21st October, 2020.
A statement by the Federal Ministry of Labour, said that the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, will continue discussions with the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning on its earlier memo to President Muhammadu Buhari on sources of alternative funding for the revitalization to facilitate the process of additional funding of the university system.
The conciliatory meeting which was aimed at putting an end to the strike embarked upon by university lecturers has been adjourned to October 21, 2020.
