Gossip & Gists: FG Cancels Resumption Ultimatum, Pays N200B Requested By ASUU

With the apparent stance of the Academic Staff Union of Universities on non resumption until the agreement between them and the Federal government has been honored, the Federal Government in a re-conciliatory move removed the ultimatum earlier placed on lecturers to resume otherwise their appointments would be terminated.

FG has also provided proof of disbursement of N200billion to the educational trust account which was one of the criteria earlier given by lecturers for resumption.

Addressing newsmen yesterday, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe, showed a letter with reference number GVD/DGO/GEN/MP/05/151 which was addressed to the Auditor-General of the Federation and titled: “Confirmation of the Execution of your Mandate for the Credit of Account No… Revitalization of Universities Infrastructure Account.”

The letter stated: “I write to confirm the execution of the following mandates by the Central Bank of Nigeria for funding of the above mentioned account as follows:
 
Mandate FD/LP2013/40/1/30/DF – 129,300,000,000.00
Mandate FD/F124/Vol XII/120/DF – 20,700,000,000.00
Mandate FD/LP2013/40/1/DF – 50,000,000,000.00
 
“I wish to further confirm that the available balance in the aforementioned account is N200,000,000,000.00 (Two Hundred Billion Naira Only). Please, accept the assurances of my best regards.”
As regards cancellation of the ultimatum, Doyin Okupe said about 90% of the lecturers had resumed nationwide so the talk of deadline resumption has dropped.

Gossip & Gists: FG Ready To Pay Salary Arrears Of Lecturers Who Comply With Resumption Ultimatum – NUC

The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, NUC, Professor Julius Okojie has said that the Federal Government was ready to pay the four-month salary arrears owed academic staff who returns to work.

Briefing our correspondence, yesterday, in Abuja, Okojie said; "Councils have been directed to shift the resumption date to December 9. The new deadline, has already been communicated to the Pro-Chancellors Tuesday (yesterday) morning."

“The Federal Government as an employer of labour cannot just fold its arms while the institutions remain shut and its clients — the students — continue to suffer. You cannot pay someone who has failed to resume work. You are on strike and you want to be paid. What if some have already left the system? Some of our very bright lecturers may have got jobs elsewhere already.”

Okojie noted that “the resumption order does not necessarily mean students would commence academic activities immediately but the school environment has to be put back in shape as reptiles may have taken over some places, and the Senate of each institution has to revisit the academic calendar. Students would be expected to resume one or two weeks after the December 9 resumption deadline”.

Okojie while responding to several issues raised by ASUU, insisted that it was a general consensus at the November 4, 2013 meeting with the President to have the Permanent Secretary of the Education Ministry sign the resolutions reached after the meeting.

Okojie stressed that the issue of the inclusion of a non-victimization clause as now demanded by ASUU did not even come up at all during and after the meeting.

“Jega and Awuzie are past ASUU chairmen. Are they not holding good positions in Nigeria today? Why would anyone victimize someone for exercising his right? If anyone would do such a thing, not the Jonathan government. In fact the mood that day did not reflect such, we were all smiles and hugs. After that meeting we were all hopeful that was the end of the crises,” he said.

He wondered why ASUU would return three weeks later, after it had failed to get back to government on November 8 as agreed, and demand addition of new clauses.

He said: “The 2009 Agreement stipulates that any party that wants a re-negotiation should inform the Ministry of Labour. If ASUU had said they would resume, but the outstanding issues must be addressed, government would have no choice,” Okojie said.

On the N200 billion revitalization fund which ASUU is demanding should be disbursed within two weeks, Okojie diclosed that the money has been deposited in an account in the Central Bank of Nigeria. “The money cannot, however, be disbursed just anyhow because they are meant for capital projects,” he said.

Okojie therefore appealed to the striking union to return to work in the interest of students who he described as the victims. “One of the universities in Uganda where our children are enrolling, neigbouring countries do not even accept their degrees. Our children are going to schools with poorer degrees,” he lamented.

Gossip & Gists: Outcome Of FG & ASUU Meeting: FG To Give Varsities N1.1 Trillion

Very late Monday night November 4th, President Jonathan met with officials of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, over the on-going strike.

After the meeting, ASUU officials said they would relay the outcome of the meeting later this week after consulting with other members of their board.

The Union has not made an official statement yet but Punch is reporting that a key component of the agreement reached by the parties after the meeting was that the Federal Government would  inject N1.1trillion into public universities in the next five years.

They said the federal government would release N220billion yearly into the sector beginning from 2014. For the outgoing year, the government will only release N100bn and this has been processed.

They also said the strike would be called off anytime next week. Halleluyah!