THE Federal Government may have reopened dialogue
with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU), in a bid to end the over two
months old strike.
This came just as the National Association of Nigerians
Students (NANS) urged both government and ASUU to
return back to the negotiation table, with each party
willing to shift ground from their previous positions.
Indications to the new development with ASUU
emerged on Monday, when journalists were called to
cover the meeting, which was eventually postponed till
next week, with a ministry official saying this was to
allow the supervising Minister of Education, Mr
Nyesom Wike, get proper briefing on the current
standpoint of the issues involved.
Wike was joined by the Minister of Labour and
Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, for the meeting
scheduled for 12 noon at the Federal Ministry of
Education conference room before it was called off.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that the resumption of talks
followed the exit of the former Minister of Education,
Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i, who was dropped
last week by President Goodluck Jonathan alongside
eight other ministers.
The negotiation between the government and
leadership of ASUU broke down over disagreement on
payment of academic earned allowance to union
members.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian students, under the auspices
of NANS, have called on both the Federal Government
and ASUU to return back to the negotiation table, in
order to resolve their differences in good faith.
Acting Senate president of NANS, John Shima, while
addressing newsmen in Abuja, lauded the sack of
Professor Rufa’i and other ministers, as part of the
initiatives of President Jonathan to retool the
government.
“ASUU and Federal Government should go back to the
negotiating table. Even after wars, issues are resolved
at the roundtable. Nigerian students have been idle for
78 days.
“Nigerian students are tired of sitting at home. Both
parties are urged to shift ground to ensure quick
resolution of the crisis.
“We lost almost three years of study time in the last 10
years due to strikes; the lost time being enough to
graduate a student in Germany,” Shima said.
Meanwhile, Benue State governor, Mr Gabriel Suswam,
has vowed to get tough on striking lecturers of Benue
State University, Makurdi, by evoking “no work, no
pay” policy if they refuse to call off what he described
as their “sympathy strike,” which had paralysed
academic activities in the state.
Suswam said state-owned universities like that of
Benue had no reason whatsoever to remain on strike,
since it was federal universities and not states that
were earlier involved in the negotiation with the
Federal Government.Suswam explained that Benue
State University had been benefiting fully from the
earned allowance for which the Federal Government
voted N30 billion and had no cause to be complaining.
The governor, while addressing communicant
members of the Reformed Church of Christ in Nigeria,
at Achusa village, Makurdi, at the weekend, decried the
extent to which the strike had gone and admonished
the authorities of the institution to expedite action
towards suspending the protracted strike for students
to resume in the next one week.
He condemned the level of dilapidated infrastructure
in most state-owned universities, including Benue State
University, but applauded the Federal Government for
the release of N100 billion to assuage the problem.
Benue State University, the governor said, got N950
million for the execution of six projects within the
institution, while he expressed optimism that the
funds would be judiciously used for the growth of the
university.
with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU), in a bid to end the over two
months old strike.
This came just as the National Association of Nigerians
Students (NANS) urged both government and ASUU to
return back to the negotiation table, with each party
willing to shift ground from their previous positions.
Indications to the new development with ASUU
emerged on Monday, when journalists were called to
cover the meeting, which was eventually postponed till
next week, with a ministry official saying this was to
allow the supervising Minister of Education, Mr
Nyesom Wike, get proper briefing on the current
standpoint of the issues involved.
Wike was joined by the Minister of Labour and
Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, for the meeting
scheduled for 12 noon at the Federal Ministry of
Education conference room before it was called off.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that the resumption of talks
followed the exit of the former Minister of Education,
Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i, who was dropped
last week by President Goodluck Jonathan alongside
eight other ministers.
The negotiation between the government and
leadership of ASUU broke down over disagreement on
payment of academic earned allowance to union
members.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian students, under the auspices
of NANS, have called on both the Federal Government
and ASUU to return back to the negotiation table, in
order to resolve their differences in good faith.
Acting Senate president of NANS, John Shima, while
addressing newsmen in Abuja, lauded the sack of
Professor Rufa’i and other ministers, as part of the
initiatives of President Jonathan to retool the
government.
“ASUU and Federal Government should go back to the
negotiating table. Even after wars, issues are resolved
at the roundtable. Nigerian students have been idle for
78 days.
“Nigerian students are tired of sitting at home. Both
parties are urged to shift ground to ensure quick
resolution of the crisis.
“We lost almost three years of study time in the last 10
years due to strikes; the lost time being enough to
graduate a student in Germany,” Shima said.
Meanwhile, Benue State governor, Mr Gabriel Suswam,
has vowed to get tough on striking lecturers of Benue
State University, Makurdi, by evoking “no work, no
pay” policy if they refuse to call off what he described
as their “sympathy strike,” which had paralysed
academic activities in the state.
Suswam said state-owned universities like that of
Benue had no reason whatsoever to remain on strike,
since it was federal universities and not states that
were earlier involved in the negotiation with the
Federal Government.Suswam explained that Benue
State University had been benefiting fully from the
earned allowance for which the Federal Government
voted N30 billion and had no cause to be complaining.
The governor, while addressing communicant
members of the Reformed Church of Christ in Nigeria,
at Achusa village, Makurdi, at the weekend, decried the
extent to which the strike had gone and admonished
the authorities of the institution to expedite action
towards suspending the protracted strike for students
to resume in the next one week.
He condemned the level of dilapidated infrastructure
in most state-owned universities, including Benue State
University, but applauded the Federal Government for
the release of N100 billion to assuage the problem.
Benue State University, the governor said, got N950
million for the execution of six projects within the
institution, while he expressed optimism that the
funds would be judiciously used for the growth of the
university.
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