N53bn — FG
Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, said
yesterday, that the on-going strike by ASUU would be
called off next week, adding that N53 billion would be
released to the union.
Speaking before the Senate Committee on Tertiary
Institutions and TETFUND, led by Senator Jibrin Barau
APC, Kano North, the Minister disclosed that the
executive arm of government had commenced plans
to ensure that it honoured the agreement with ASUU.
The Minister, who noted that he had written to the
Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, for the
money, disclosed that she had already approved the
money, adding that the money would be paid on
Monday when the striking lecturers would receive the
cheque.
He said: “ASUU asked for N23billion to be paid, but
we said the condition for getting the N23billion was
for them to account for the N30billion they had taken
and they were not able to account for it.
“The Minister of Finance undertook to do the audit
from the ministry and we agreed that the result will be
known in six months. During that six months,
government undertook to be paying ASUU N1.5billion
each month during the time they were waiting for this.
‘’However, their grouse was that the forensic audit
promised by the Minister of Finance had not been
done and the money promised not paid.
“So, at our meeting two days ago, the agreement was
to pay them all and do forensic audit on the entire
N53billion.
“That was what I tried to do yesterday (Wednesday). I
wrote to the Minister of Finance and she has already
approved and this money will be paid. Probably, by
Monday, they will be able to receive the cheque.
“We didn’t agree with ASUU on their request that TSA
should be taken out. I told them that it is not possible
because it is a new policy and government is not going
to change it for anyone.
“Concerning their salary short fall, we said the reason
springs from universities employing people without
proper authority.
“For instance, a university can just decide to go and
recruit 50 people without notifying IPPIS. So, what
they are going to get is the money they got last month,
which will not be sufficient for them. We have told
them that institutions should, henceforth, stop doing
that and they accepted.
“There is the issue of registration of their pension
commission. I think they have one or two issues to
iron out with PENCOM and I believe they will also be
able to solve the problem within a week.
“The issue of renegotiation is already ongoing, which
will not affect what we have said. I have already
written a letter formalizing the meeting and all the
agreements we had with ASUU and gave them the
letter yesterday.
“From the way they received it, I think it is possible
that the strike will be called off within a week
maximum.”
Chairman of the Committee, Senator Jibrin Barau,
commended the Minister for his efforts towards
ensuring that the situation was resolved and the strike
called off.
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