ASUU STRIKE UPDATE: ASUU May Call Off Strike Next Week, Demands Slash Of Lawmakers’ Salaries By 2014

THE about five-month-old strike embarked upon by members of Academic
Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) may be called off next week.
It was gathered that the union would conclude consultations with its
members and may resume class soon.
The union, it was also gathered, had asked the Federal Government to
slash across board, salaries of National Assembly members, ministers
and other political office
holders by 2014.
The demand was placed on the Federal Government at a marathon meeting
leadership of the union held with President Goodluck Jonathan and
other key
government officials at the Presidential Villa, on Monday. ASUU
president, Dr Nasir Isa Fagge, could not confirm this, as calls put to
him on his mobile line were unsuccessful, but ASUU source told the
Nigerian Tribune in Abuja that the demand formed part of their
deliberations on Monday to early hours of Tuesday.
The source said ASUU had suggested this based on the complaint by the
Federal Government that it had no money to implement all aspects of
the 2009 agreement
as demanded. Nigerian Tribune, however, gathered that branch chairmen
of the ASUU had been directed to brief their members on the offer by
President Jonathan,
which is largely an addition of N20 billion to the N200 billion
already agreed upon with Vice President Namadi Sambo to be released to
universities annually.
According to the fresh pact, the Federal Government had agreed to
release N220 billion yearly to the public universities, beginning from
2014 till the next five
years. It was also gathered that the meeting adopted the accord struck
by the vice president with the union, on the need to increase the N30
billion already released for the payment of academic earned allowance
to N40 billion. According to sources, government also agreed that the
N40 billion should be regarded only as
first instalment, and not a once-and-for-all payment. At the meeting,
the government assured that it would, among other things, revamp the
public universities by
ensuring that all those issues that always led to strike were dealt
with once and for all. ASUU president had, after the meeting, told
reporters that his team would
take back the message of President Jonathan to varsity teachers
before a decision would be taken on the next line of action.

--
Faith Olaniran
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