There were indications yesterday that the planned strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will no longer hold.
This followed the intervention of House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila.
During a meeting at the Speaker’s office, the parties resolved that N30 billion revitalisation fund be released to the universities within the next one week with the N22.1 billion Earned Academic Allowances also to be paid within the period.
The meeting was attended by members of ASUU’s national leadership and top government officials.
They included past presidents of the union, led by the incumbent President, Prof. Victor Emmanuel Osodeke; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Hajia Zainab Ahmed; Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajuba; Chairman of the House Committee on Tertiary Education, Aminu Suleiman and his Basic Education counterpart, Prof. Julius Ihonvbare.
Gbajabiamila summoned the meeting to enable the parties address the grievances of the university lecturers, following a motion of urgent public importance moved by Prof. Ihonvbare.
The meeting also agreed to compel the Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to fast-track the process of testing and approving the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) being developed by the union for the payment of salaries of university lecturers.
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The parties agreed to set up a tripartite committee comprising members of the union, the government and the National Assembly to work out modalities for the resumption of renegotiation on the 2009 agreement between the union and the government.
Renegotiation had stalled, following the resignation of the Chairman of the Renegotiation Committee, while the union expressed apprehension about resumption of talks.
Addressing the parties, Gbajabiamila said the House summoned the meeting because the consequences of the lecturers going on strike were grave.
“We know the consequences of ASUU going on strike. The unintended consequences, which we don’t know, will be far-reaching.
“Whether on the side of ASUU, the government or the House, we all mean well for our children. I do not believe we can afford another strike.
“I have a fair idea of what the issues are. But whatever it is, it cannot be a recurring decimal. Strike should not be incessant. It should be a last resort when negotiations break down,” he said.
ASUU President Prof. Victor Emmanuel Osodeke said the issues in contention started with the 2009 agreement whose implementation did not start until 2013 when former President Goodluck Jonathan convened a 14-hour meeting where an agreement was reached on the modalities for implementation of the agreement.
He said it was agreed that the government would make N1.2 trillion available in six years at an annual rate of N200 billion for the revitalisation of the University sector.
Osodeke added that it was followed with an immediate release of N200 million, while another N20 million was released in 2017.
According to him, the government failed to make further releases since then, though it was agreed in December 2020 that the government would make N30 billion available in January 2021 as part of the first tranche while the balance of the tranche would be released at a later date.
He said: “That money was to be paid in January. This is November, and we are yet to see the money, 11 months after. And the meeting, which was to be set up to work out the payment plan of the balance of N190 billion, has not been set up.”
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