The Minister for Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige has briefed President Buhari of the development so far achieved on way forward on the negotiation of the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government. The development came in handy when some group of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) took to the street in Awka, the Anambra state capital to register their displeasure over the treatment of ASUU by the Federal Government.
The minister slammed the insinuation that it was being insensitive over the plea of ASUU to resolve the industrial action amicably by obliging to the demand of ASUU over demand for a wage increase, saying the federal Government was opposing that.
ASUU declared a one-month warning ahead of an indefinite industrial action started on 14th February over failure by the federal government to keep the agreement they strike with the academicians.
ASUU demanded that the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, a payment platform should be replaced with the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS , which ASUU lamented that short-changes them.
While speaking to newsmen shortly after briefing President Buhari at the state House, Ngige revealed that the Federal Government was making effort to compare what is currently obtainable in the system to their counterpart in other institutions to decide on the increment applicable.
The minister disclosed that so far, the federal government has paid over N92billion as Academic Earn allowance and revitalization to the federal Universities across the country as part of the implementation of the 2020 agreement reached between the universities and the Federal government.
Ngige said, “Why I said that the 2020 December agreement we had with ASUU is on course in terms of implementation, there is a line that says the FG should pay N40 billion for Earned Academic Allowances, EAA, for ASUU and other unions, that has been paid.
“The N30 billion was also budgeted or was to be paid for revitalization that also was paid late last year. N22.127 billion was agreed in that December agreement, to be paid from the supplementary budget as Earned Allowances for 2021, that money was also paid last year.
The Minister explained that “It was put in the supplementary budget, which was passed around June-July and the money was remitted. So, the government has done that.”
However, concerning the controversial introduction of UTAS as the payroll system instead of the IPPIS as applicable in all federal government establishments, the Minister said it would be revisited.
NANS Blocked roads
Accordingly, at a popular Aroma Junction in Awka, NANS comprising of students from Nnamdi Azikiwe University were waving placards demanding the government to end the strike.
One of the protesters, John Ubah, lamented the situation where students are meant to spend double the number of years ordinarily they are supposed to spend studying in the University.
Meanwhile, NANS through its National President Sunday Asefon, had revealed that the Minister of Education Mallam Adamu Adamu has apologized for his action for walking out on the student during the meeting in Abuja on Monday.
Asefon said, “Our first meeting with the Minister of Education on Monday, was tense, ended abruptly, because of our radical stance which was necessitated by the untold hardship we have suffered from these incessant strikes and lack of adequate commitment to the development of the tertiary education system in the country. While the Minister of Education stormed out of the meeting, we barricaded the Ministry, but the Minister managed to escape the waiting anger of the crowd of students.
“However, with the intervention of the DSS, the Nigeria Police Force, the special appeal from the Executive Secretary of NUC, the JAMB registrar, and the unreserved apology of the Minister of Education, a new meeting was reconvened at the Conference Hall of the NUC, where the Minister of Education was also present, Asefo added.
“While we await the resolution of the meeting between the FG and ASUU today, we have informed the Minister that we shall react louder and bigger across the 36 States and the FCT should the government fail to find a permanent solution to issues of ASUU strike.”
