The Federal Government (FG) on Friday made a number of concessions to the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in a bid to finally resolve the lingering strike which has crippled public universities in Nigeria.
The development was disclosed after a meeting between the ASUU leadership and the FG team.
1st News reports that the FG has finally agreed to exempt lecturers from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information (IPPIS) which has remained one of the contending demands of ASUU. Specifically, the government agreed to pay the striking lecturers through the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System; until ASUU’s University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) was ready for usage.
In addition, the FG has agreed to release the sum of N65 billion for earned Academic allowance; as well as proposed revitalization of universities.
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On the issue of withheld salaries, the FG revealed that the Federal Ministry of Labour; as well as the Federal Ministry of Education will review the issue of “no work, no pay’’; as stipulated in Section 43 of the Trade Disputes Act Cap T8 laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004; with a view to getting approval for the withheld salaries to be paid.
At the end of the seven-hour meeting, Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige told reporters that the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) has offered to release N40 billion or in the alternative, N35 billion to be shared by all the registered Trade Unions in the universities after providing necessary evidence of having earned the allowance.
“The FG reiterated that her offer of N40 billion or 35 billion; whichever is accepted by ASUU was for all the universities unions. ASUU had proposed that N40 billion be paid immediately for all unions,” the Minister said.
Ngige said all vice-chancellors are to submit details of the EAA/EA to the National Universities Commission (NUC); on or before November 30.
