This is the second time in a row the meetings were cancelled. However, no reason was given for the cancellation of the parley scheduled to discuss the union’s current strike.
A meeting between the Federal Government and the leadership
of the Academic Staff Union of Universities was again cancelled on Monday.
This is the second time in a row the meetings were cancelled. However, no reason was given for the cancellation of the parley scheduled to discuss the union’s current strike.
According to the Nation, it was gathered that ASUU was still
consulting with its organs on the latest offer by the Federal Government to the
striking university teachers.
The Deputy Director of Press and Public Relations in the
Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mr Charles Akpan, announced the
postponement in a text message.
“Good morning, colleagues. Please, note that the meeting
with ASUU, earlier scheduled for today (yesterday), is cancelled. The
inauguration of the technical committee on PMS is as scheduled,” the message
read.
When contacted, ASUU President, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, said
the union’s leadership did not agree on any meeting with the government as
consultations on both sides were still ongoing.
“We never actually agreed on any meeting. What we said was
due consultations, and consultations are going on at the two levels. We believe
the government’s side is also consulting. That’s why the meeting has not held.
“So, consultations are going on. Thank you,” Ogunyemi said
at a media briefing.
ASUU has been on strike since March this year to drive home
its demands.
In a statement, last Tuesday in Abuja, labour and employment
minister, Dr Chris Ngige, said the government had raised its offer to the
striking lecturers to N70billion.
He said the government was willing to pay N40billion for
Earned Academic Allowances, which would be shared among three university-based
unions and N30billion for revitalisation.
Ngige added that the funds were ready to be disbursed,
pending when the union would agree to call off the over eight-month strike.
The Federal Government also accepted ASUU’s demand that they
be exempted from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System,
pending the approval of their proposed payment system, the University
Transparency and Accountability Solution.
It also reconstituted a committee to renegotiate the 2009
agreement between the Federal Government and universities-based unions, as
demanded by ASUU.
The committee is headed by Prof. Munzali Jibril, the Pro-Chancellor
of the Federal University Lafia in Nasarawa State and Chairman of the Committee
of Pro-Chancellors of Federal Universities.
The government has also set up visitation panels which will
be inaugurated when varsities reopen.
Also, Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities
at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Dr Christian Opata, has said the union’s
rejection of the IPPIS has nothing to do with its current strike.
Opata spoke on Monday while addressing reporters on the
protracted nationwide action.
He said the media briefing was to correct the
“misinformation” in a national daily, where it was alleged that the union
embarked on its action because of IPPIS.
According to him, ASUU went on strike because the Federal
Government failed to honour the 2009 agreement and Memorandum of Understanding
it entered with the union.
“ASUU didn’t go on strike because of a misunderstanding with
the government on IPPIS as a platform for payment of salary.
“IPPIS issue started in 2018, before then, ASUU has been
calling on the government to honour the 2009 agreement and various MoUs it
entered with government.
“In the 2009 agreement and MoUs, the government agreed,
among other things, to release the money to revitalise the decaying
infrastructure in public universities and set up visitation panels to know the
condition of the universities,” Opata said.
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