The Federal Government will meet with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities on Monday to address the outstanding demands of the university teachers.
The Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, revealed this on a Television Continental programme: “Beyond 100 Days.”
The Eagle Online recalls that ASUU had given the Federal and States Governments a 21-day ultimatum at the end of its National Executive Council meeting at the University of Ibadan last week to meet the demands.
The President of ASUU, Emmanuel Osodeke, confirmed this at a news conference this week.
Speaking on TVC on Thursday, Mamman said: “We got a correspondence of notice of strike from ASUU on Monday.
We met yesterday to review those issues and we are going to be meeting with ASUU on those issues.
“Some of the issues are historic in nature.
“When you talk about the 2009 agreement. This is something that dates back to almost 1981 when they started.
“We have been having a series of conversations with the leadership of ASUU on the issues affecting the university system so that we can, together, address all their concerns.
“The President is quite interested in issues about the progress of academic activities and his desire to have stability and lack of disruption in that sector so that the sector can contribute meaningfully to the academic and manpower development of the country and provide a suitable environment for partnerships with institutions.
“I share with ASUU their vision for a university system, but the issue is always the approach.
“Government will not be able to address every concern at the same time because of other competing needs. That’s where we are.
“I believe we have what it takes to address the issues within three weeks and I also believe that ASUU doesn’t want to go on strike.
“It is a quest for us to be pragmatic and show understanding with regards to what is doable now, what is doable in the short term and what will require more time to do.
“We have already sent out notice to the leadership of ASUU for us to meet on Monday.
“Yesterday (Wednesday) we (government side) reviewed the letter submitted by ASUU and all the issues which are listed in the letter.
“It is our hope that by Monday we will meet to discuss them.
“We are also putting in place a team that will engage ASUU in the aspect of agreement, which I said has a historic background.
“We are working in all directions to ensure that universities remain open.
“And some of the agencies of government that have responsibilities to fulfill in the issues raised in the ASUU letter we are engaging, we have written to them too.
“Like the NEEDS Assessment and allowances we are approaching our colleagues in finance.
“We need to put figures to some of these issues.
“In our last meeting we asked ASUU to provide details so as to facilitate implementation through engagement with our colleagues in finance for implementation.”
Osodeke had during his news briefing listed some of the issues as: Conclusion of the renegotiation of the FGN/ASUU Agreement based on Nimi Briggs Committee’s draft Agreement of 2021; Release of withheld three-and-half months salaries on account of the 2022 strike action; Release of unpaid salaries of staff on sabbatical, part-time and adjunct appointments owing to the application of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System; Release of outstanding third-party deductions such as check-off dues and cooperative contributions; Funding for revitalisation of public universities (partly captured in 2023 Federal Government’s Budget); and Earned Academic Allowances (partly captured in the 2023 Federal Government’s Budget).
Others are: proliferation of universities by Federal and State Governments; Implementation of the reports of visitation panels to universities; and University Transparency and Accountability Solution in place of IPPIS.
