We’ve Met 80% Of ASUU’s Demands — FG Tells Nigerians

By Oladosu Oluwagbenga

As Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Monday, further extended its over six months strike, the Federal Government faulted the action, claiming it had met 80% of their demands.

After accusing the Federal Government of failing to uphold its commitments in the renegotiation of the 2009 deal it signed with it, the umbrella union of lecturers at the country’s public institutions earlier on Monday again prolonged the strike.

ASUU’s action came following its National Executive Council, NEC meeting, which was held at the University of Abuja Secretariat.

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Some union members who spoke in confidence revealed that the meeting ended with a decision to go on an indefinite strike, even though the union has yet to issue an official statement or speak to the media about the implications of its meeting, which started late on Sunday and went into early on Monday.

THEEAGLE gathered that Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, the president of the ASUU, would be responsible for communicating the union’s official position regarding the NEC meeting.

“We resolved in our just concluded NEC meeting that we should make the ongoing strike indefinite since the federal government has failed to show any commitment to addressing the grey areas that led us to this action.

“Our President, as usual, would communicate this among others decisions to the public through the media,” he said, refusing to speak further.

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In response to the development, the federal government claimed that the FG had met 80% of the union’s demands and criticized the extension of the strike as unreasonable.

The Federal Ministry of Education, speaking through its Director of Press and Public Relations, Bem Goong, said: “If you bring some demands and almost 80% have been attended to, there is no need to drag the strike anymore.”

According to him,“It is unreasonable for the strike to be lingering since the government has worked towards fulfilling most of the demands.”

Goong, who said the federal government had deployed all measures to end the strike, said: “As regards the next steps, the government has already inaugurated a committee to harmonize the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS and the University Peculiar Personnel and Payroll System,U3PS.

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He explained that,” This will ensure that the government will pay with only one payment platform that will harmonize all the technical peculiarities.”

Recall that Malam Adamu Adamu Adamu, the minister of education, claimed last week that the government had met most of the demands made by ASUU.

The release of N50 billion for the payment of earned allowances for academic and non-academic staff at universities was one of the demands addressed, according to Adamu.

Recall also the current strike, which had previously been postponed, started on February 14th, 2022, after parties were unable to come to an agreement.