#ASUUstrike Update: ASUU rejects N600billion offer from FG

According to THE NATION, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU has rejected FG’s latest offer tabled before them in order to make them end their 4-month-old strike.

SAHARA REPORTERS had yesterday cited an internal memo by the VC of Federal University, Otuoke, Prof. Bolaji Aluko saying FG had pledged to spend N200 billion on the universities in the 2014 budget and the same amount annually for the next three to four years, in addition to the N100 billion already made available this year.



The government had also, according to the memo increased to N40 billion, as a first installment, funds for the payment of earned allowances to the striking lecturers – an improvement from the N30 billion previously released. Universities will be given autonomy on spending funds to develop their facilities, the memo added. ASUU was also mandated to submit a blueprint for revitalising the universities to the Vice President.

All this, the memo said, was the result of the meetings held with the Vice President Mohammed Sambo and others on Sept. 19 and Oct 11.

But the varsity teachers remained unimpressed and adamant, and last night said the old strike would go on, despite the government’s shifting of its position.

ASUU’s National Treasurer Dr. Ademola Aremu, speaking with THE NATION said the offer failed to meet the teachers’ expectations and falls short of the agreement signed with ASUU by the government.

“Even if the Federal Government made that promise, it would be a unilateral repudiation of the 2009 agreement. By now, the government should have injected N500 billion. That amounts to N100 billion in 2012 and N400 billion in the current year.” He said.

“As a matter of fact, any new commitment from the Federal Government is belated. Implementation of the agreement ought to have started before this year. I don’t think there is any way we can trust this government, going by its past behaviour on this issue.

“The mandate from our principal as at the last time we met was that we won’t end the strike until the agreement is fully implemented.

“We do not need promises again. What we need now is actual implementation. What if they do not release the funds again after making the promise?

“It was this same Mr President that mid-wifed the agreement in 2009 when he was the Vice President. The MoU was in his custody. He studied the agreement well before asking then President Umaru Yar’Adua to sign it. We can’t trust this government.”