University teachers are seeking audience with President Goodluck Jonathan.
They delivered yesterday a letter containing the request to the Supervising Minister for Education, Chief. Nyesom Wike.
Also, top leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU),
led by National President, Dr. Nasir Issa Fagge, converged yesterday on
Abuja for the last stage of discussions with the Federal Government.
The leaders were awaiting the President’s invitation on the three
conditions they tabled for the almost five -month strike to be called
off.
The conditions are:
• commitment from the President that any review or
reconsideration or renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement will not
substantially affect the Agreement which is the cause of the ongoing
strike;
• immediate payment of all outstanding salary arrears and allowances of varsity teachers without victimisation; and
•a written commitment from the President that the
Federal Government will commit N225billion annually to the funding of
universities for the next four years.
ASUU’s letter was delivered to the Minister through its Liaison Officer in Abuja.
But the minister has described the demand as outrageous.
Wike said: “I will have to see Mr. President to see how the
government can go about this development, which is not favourable. It is
outrageous. ASUU is now making fresh demands and this will definitely
need further discussion.”
In the letter, the union demanded that it would want the last tranche
of the negotiation with the Federal Government to be witnessed by
President of the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) Abduwaheed Omar and
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mohammed
Bello Adoke (SAN).
A top source, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, said
ASUU leaders were determined to see that any agreement with the Federal
Government has legal binding.
The source said: “ASUU leaders are not ready to take anything for
granted this time around; every clause in whatever is agreed upon will
have legal effect on the two parties.
“This is why ASUU leaders have asked for the NLC President and the
AGF to be present. They do not want a situation where the government
will deny such agreement in the near future.
“It was amazing how the government had been faulting the 2009
Agreement, which it was part of. This shows that ASUU must be extremely
careful.”
There were indications also that the Federal Government was also firming up its position on the conditions set by ASUU.
A Presidency source said: “The government is also weighing options on
the demands of ASUU especially the aspects relating to financial
commitment.
“You know, what the government spends has to depend on what it earns.
If there is a binding financial commitment and there is global
recession in the oil industry, will government now look for money at all
cost?
“This is one grey area of the pending agreement on which the two parties must reach a compromise.”
A source close to ASUU however said varsity students may stay at home
till next year when the government will be ready to meet the union’s
demand.
The source said the government’s plan is to deceive ASUU into calling off the strike and still not implement the 2009 agreement.
“ASUU will not chicken out of its fight. The death of Iyayi has
further deepened our resolve to ensure that government implements the
2009 agreement. This fight is for the university community and not for
ASUU. Many people are insinuating that we are fighting for the 2009 to
be implemented to favour ASUU. They can say whatever they like that will
not deter us.
”Government knows what to do. But people in the same government are
mismanaging public funds which can be used to implement the said FG/ASUU
agreement. Many of us at the ASUU session at Mambayya House in Kano
resolved that government must meet the 2009 agreement.”
Wike yesterday condemned new conditions which the union insists must be met before a truce could be achieved.
Wike spoke during his meeting with Commissioners of Education in Abuja.
He confirmed that ASUU had given new conditions to call off the strike.
The Minister at the meeting with the commissioners assured them of
the readiness of the Federal Government to support state governments in
the development of education.
REPORT CULLED FROM THE NATION NEWSPAPER
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