ASUUstrike Update: ASUUrejects N600billion offer fromFG

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.”