Buhari versus ASUU over recent strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, tops the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting’s agenda for today.
It will be the first meeting to be presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, since his return from medical vacation in London.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, disclosed that FEC’s approval is needed for ASUU’s fresh demands.
Recall, that ASUU had on Monday, forwarded to the Federal Government, its response to the concessions earlier offered by the Federal Government, with the hope to receive the government’s reply as soon as possible.
The Federal Government had offered to pay N23 billion and a monthly payment of N1.5 billion, pending the outcome of the audit being carried out by the Ministry of Finance. The government however, rejected ASUU’s demand for exemption of Universities from the Treasury Single Account, TSA.
ASUU’s grievances include the non-release of the operational license of the Nigerian Universities Pension Management Company, NUPEMCO, and other pension matters of the Union; fractionalization of salaries in Federal Universities, gross under-funding and non-funding of State Universities.
Others are: arrears and implementation of Earned Academic Allowances, the release of N825 billion arrears of funds for the revitalisation of Public Universities as spelt out in the 2013 Memorandum of Understanding, among others.
Following the fresh conditions for the resumption of academic activities by the Union, a meeting earlier scheduled to hold between the ASUU leadership and the Federal Government team, comprising both the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, and Ngige, could not hold yesterday.
Members of ASUU were absent at a meeting called at the instance of the Federal Government, over the lingering industrial action in Universities.
The meeting, which was slated to hold at noon on Tuesday, was according to Ngige, shifted owing to the communication from ASUU to the government.
Members of ASUU had embarked on indefinite strike on August 13, following government’s failure to implement the agreement reached in November 2016.
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