Strike: Again, Nigerian Government, ASUU Cancel Meeting

A meeting between the Federal Government and the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities was again cancelled on Monday.

This is the second time in a row the meetings were cancelled. However, no reason was given for the cancellation of the parley scheduled to discuss the union’s current strike.

According to the Nation, it was gathered that ASUU was still consulting with its organs on the latest offer by the Federal Government to the striking university teachers.

The Deputy Director of Press and Public Relations in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mr Charles Akpan, announced the postponement in a text message.

“Good morning, colleagues. Please, note that the meeting with ASUU, earlier scheduled for today (yesterday), is cancelled. The inauguration of the technical committee on PMS is as scheduled,” the message read.

When contacted, ASUU President, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, said the union’s leadership did not agree on any meeting with the government as consultations on both sides were still ongoing.

“We never actually agreed on any meeting. What we said was due consultations, and consultations are going on at the two levels. We believe the government’s side is also consulting. That’s why the meeting has not held.

“So, consultations are going on. Thank you,” Ogunyemi said at a media briefing.

ASUU has been on strike since March this year to drive home its demands.

In a statement, last Tuesday in Abuja, labour and employment minister, Dr Chris Ngige, said the government had raised its offer to the striking lecturers to N70billion.

He said the government was willing to pay N40billion for Earned Academic Allowances, which would be shared among three university-based unions and N30billion for revitalisation.

Ngige added that the funds were ready to be disbursed, pending when the union would agree to call off the over eight-month strike.

The Federal Government also accepted ASUU’s demand that they be exempted from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, pending the approval of their proposed payment system, the University Transparency and Accountability Solution.

It also reconstituted a committee to renegotiate the 2009 agreement between the Federal Government and universities-based unions, as demanded by ASUU.

The committee is headed by Prof. Munzali Jibril, the Pro-Chancellor of the Federal University Lafia in Nasarawa State and Chairman of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of Federal Universities.

The government has also set up visitation panels which will be inaugurated when varsities reopen.

Also, Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Dr Christian Opata, has said the union’s rejection of the IPPIS has nothing to do with its current strike.

Opata spoke on Monday while addressing reporters on the protracted nationwide action.

He said the media briefing was to correct the “misinformation” in a national daily, where it was alleged that the union embarked on its action because of IPPIS.

According to him, ASUU went on strike because the Federal Government failed to honour the 2009 agreement and Memorandum of Understanding it entered with the union.

“ASUU didn’t go on strike because of a misunderstanding with the government on IPPIS as a platform for payment of salary.

“IPPIS issue started in 2018, before then, ASUU has been calling on the government to honour the 2009 agreement and various MoUs it entered with government.

“In the 2009 agreement and MoUs, the government agreed, among other things, to release the money to revitalise the decaying infrastructure in public universities and set up visitation panels to know the condition of the universities,” Opata said.

Education

News

AddThis

Original Author

Saharareporters, New York

Disable advertisements

from 24HRSNEWS
via 24HRSNEWS

from EDUPEDIA247https://ift.tt/34i8Zom
via EDUPEDIA

Nigerian Academy Of Science Inducts First Female President

The Nigerian Academy of Science has inducted a professor of Parasitology/Epidemiology, Ekanem Ikpi Braide, as its 19th President on Thursday. In a statement issued by Oladoyin Odubanjo, the Executive Secretary of the Academy, Braide is the Academy’s first female President in 44 years of existence. It read, “Braide was a member of the national committee that achieved the laudable feat of guinea worm eradication in Nigeria. “She has a rich professional experience as a researcher and an administrator. In July 2010, Professor Braide was honoured by the President of Nigeria with the award of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) for her contribution to disease control in Nigeria. “She was nominated by the Honourable Minister of Health to serve in the Ministerial Expert Advisory Committee on COVID-19 Health Sector Response (MEACoC-HSR). “Professor Braide served as Vice-Chancellor, Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) Calabar, Nigeria (2004 to 2009) and as P...

NLNG Signs Letter Of Intent On Delayed Gas Expansion Project

The Nigerian Natural Liquefied Gas LTD has signed a letter of intent for the engineering, procurement and construction of its long held up Train Seven project. In a statement released by the company on Wednesday, it said that the $10bn project will be executed by a consortium of Italian firm Saipem, Japan’s Chiyoda and South Korea’s Daewoo. The statement reads, “The project will form part of the investment of over $10bn including the upstream scope of the LNG value chain, thereby boosting the much needed Foreign Direct Investment profile of Nigeria.” Managing Director of NLNG, Tony Atta, said in 2018 that the Final Investment Decision would be made in the fourth quarter of that year. This did not however, materialize. According to the release, the project will have a four to five-year execution time after the signing of the FID. The project is expected to add an extra 8 million tons per annum of gas to the 22 mtpa currently exported by the company. Oil News AddThis :...

Former Maritime Agency Boss, Buba Galadima, Accuses AMCON Of Witch-hunt After Property Takeover

A former Director-General of the Nigeria Maritime Agency, Buba Galadima, has accused the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria of witch-hunt after the agency took possession of his business and assets on Tuesday in Abuja. Galadima, an ardent critic of President Muhammadu Buhari, claimed that he did not borrow money or have unpaid debt with Unity Bank, which lodged a complaint against him and occasioned AMCON’s move on Tuesday. The properties taken over include House No. 15, Addis Ababa Crescent, Wuse Zone 4, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and House No. 4, Bangui Street, Wuse 2, also in Abuja. Reacting to the situation, Galadima said, “This is an attempt to disgrace and break me down. This is injustice and an attempt to humiliate me. "But I am unbreakable and they can never silence me. They sacked me and over 50 people that sleep in the apartment. "We don’t know where to go. We will remain on the streets. We will remain on the streets until God provi...

EDUPEDIA247

Search This Blog