ASUU broke promise to end strike on December 9, says Ngige

The Federal Government has accused the Academic Staff Union of Universities of reneging on its ‘gentleman’ agreement to call off its strike before December 9 (today).

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, stated this on Tuesday, just as he said the FG had fulfilled all its promises and offers made to the union.

He said ASUU agreed at their last meeting with the government team on November 27 to call off their nine-month-old strike before December 9.

He was reacting to the position of the ASUU’s president, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, that the government had failed to deliver on offers made to the union.

The union leader had blamed the FG for the union’s failure to call off the strike, noting that the lecturers would not return to classes until their salary arrears were paid.

Ngige said, “The truth of the matter is that a ‘gentleman agreement’ was reached at the last meeting in which ASUU agreed to call off the strike before December 9, 2020, and the minister, in turn, agreed that once the strike is called off, he would get a presidential waiver for ASUU to be paid the remainder of their salaries on or before December 9.”

This was contained in a statement titled, ‘We have kept our promises to ASUU – FG.’

Ngige said it was discomfiting for ASUU to wrongly inform the public that the government agreed to pay all withheld salaries before it would resume work.

He insisted that the timelines attached to the various offers made to the union had been complied with.

The minister stated, “The N40bn Earned Academic Allowances have also been processed just as the N30bn revitalisation funds, bringing it to N70bn. Likewise, the visitation panels for the universities have been approved by the President but the panel cannot perform its responsibilities until the shut universities are re-opened.

“The gazetting is also being rounded off at the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation while the Ministry of Education is ready to inaugurate the various visitation panels.”

He also said, “They were paid for February and March, after which it was extended to April, May and June, months they were on strike on compassionate ground, bringing it to five months.”