A deliberation between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) earlier scheduled for Wednesday, December 9, 2020, has been postponed.
This development was contained in a memo from Mr. Charles Akpan, the Deputy Director, Ministry of Labour and Employment.
The memo shared by Vanguard partly reads, “The Meeting between ASUU and the Federal Government earlier scheduled for today (Wednesday) by 3 pm has been postponed. Thank you for your understanding.”
Recall that the ASUU embarked on a strike at the end of the first quarter of 2020 citing issues of non-payment of Earned Academic Allowances, non-provision of revitalisation funds among others.
The federal government represented by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige announced that the government had agreed to make available N70 billion for Earned Allowances.
Similarly, in a statement on Tuesday, Ngige noted that the government had met the demands of ASUU and were supposed to call off the strike today.
Ngige said:
“For instance, the Federal Government promised to constitute a Negotiation Committee for the 2009 Agreement and has fulfilled it with the last week’s inauguration of the committee that has Prof. Muzali as chairman.
“ The N40b Earned Academic Allowances/ Earned Allowances have also been processed just as the N30b revitalization Fund, bringing it to a total of N70bn.
“ Likewise, the Visitation Panels for the Universities have been approved by the President but the panel cannot perform its responsibilities until the shut universities are re-opened.
“The gazetting is also being rounded off at the Office of Attorney General of the Federation while the Ministry of Education is ready to inaugurate the various visitation panels. “
“Similarly, Government agreed to pay salaries, allowances of Earned Academic Allowances/ Earned Allowances with a hybrid platform that is not hundred per cent IPPIS as requested by ASUU while UTAS is undergoing usability and integrity test at National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) as demanded by ASUU.
“I, therefore, state without equivocation that every offer with a timeline has been faithfully fulfilled as promised by the government.”
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