[FILES] Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige. Photo: FMIC
Nine months after conditionally suspending its strike in December 2020, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), yesterday, chided President Muhammadu Buhari administration for breaching the agreement it reached with the union.
This happened at a press conference held at Ladoke Akintola University addressed by the Coordinator, Prof. Oyebamiji Oyegoke.
The Ibadan chapter asked Nigerians to hold Buhari responsible if the educational system becomes engulfed in crisis.
ASUU said only salary shortfall and setting up of visitation panels to Federal Government-owned universities have been addressed by the government while the renegotiation of conditions of service, injection of revitalisation funds, payment of earned academic allowances, implementation of University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), the proliferation of state universities, the release of withheld salaries and non-remittance of check-off dues of unions, which were all contained on December 22, 2020, Memorandum of Action, have not been addressed.
Oyegoke said: “The claim by the minister of labour and employment that the money allocated for revitalisation of public universities had been paid cannot be true. The same minister confirmed on August 2, 2021, that the money is still in the custody of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), only awaiting application by the minister of education for eventual transfer to the NEEDS Assessment Fund Account. That government is working hard to facilitate the release of money by the CBN since January 2021 leaves a sour taste in the mouth.”
