The ongoing industrial action of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) could be suspended within 24 hours should President Goodluck Jonathan accept the new resolutions suggested at the meeting of 4th November 2013, the union said on Wednesday.
However, the union placed an “untrue and absolute lie” seal on Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike’s recent statement that ASUU has been making fresh outrageous demands.
It said the supervising minister of education was being “economical with the truth” by not disclosing to Nigerians that asides the N30bn earned allowances released for university staff, the government still hasn’t released the much-publicised N100bn.
According to National Treasurer of ASUU, Dr. Ademola Aremu, the union only urged President Jonathan to facilitate the endorsement of resolutions reached with him and signed by high-ranking government officials, preferably Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke rather than by a permanent secretary. It also demanded that a representative as well as President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Abdulwaheed Omar would stand as witnesses.
He stated ASUU’s desire to have the N200bn on as 2013 revitalisation fund for public universities to be warehoused with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and disbursed to the benefiting universities.
On behalf of the union, he also expressed appreciation of the intervention of President Jonathan but observed that certain resolutions reached at the meeting with the president were absent in the final letter sent to the union.
