The Federal Government has concluded plans to release N23 billion to the aggrieved Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as part of efforts to pacify them and get them back to the class room. The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu made the disclosure when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND. The Minister explained that so far, the Ministry of Finance had approved N53bn for the union adding that the balance of N23BN would be released on Monday.
According to him, “ASUU asked for N23billion to be paid, but we said the condition for getting the N23billion was for them to account for the N30billion they had taken and they were not able to account for it. The Minister of Finance undertook to do the audit from the ministry and we agreed that the result will be known six months. During those six months, the government undertook to be paying ASUU N1.5billion each month during the time they were waiting for this."
He added that ‘’their grouse was that the forensic audit promised by the Minister of Finance had not been done and the money promised not paid. So, at our meeting two days ago, the agreement was to pay them all and do a forensic audit on the entire N53billion."
“That was what I tried to do yesterday (Wednesday). I wrote to the Minister of Finance and she has already approved and this money will be paid. Probably, by Monday, they will be able to receive the cheque. We didn’t agree with ASUU on their request that TSA should be taken out. I told them that it is not possible because it is a new policy and government is not going to change it for anyone"
On the issue of some universities paying lecturers half salary, the Minister blamed the management of the Institutions for the development stressing that most of the embarked on employment without following due process.
“For instance, a university can just decide to go and recruit 50 people without notifying IPPIS. So, what they are going to get is the money they got last month, which will not be sufficient for them. We have told them that institutions should, henceforth, stop doing that and they accepted.
He assured that the strike will be called off next week baring any unforeseen circumstances. “From the way they received it, I think it is possible that the strike will be called off within a week maximum.”
