ASUU To call off strike soon: See Breakdown Of The TOTAL Money Promised To Improve Nigerian Universites

Its as if we are at the final lap of the strike (yeah, we keep getting closer by the day) but now I think the end is for real now… Many are tired of the endless “next weeks” and some are even out of the country now (End of the year chilling has started niyen) whether they call it off isn’t their problem as school business won’t start fully until next year anyway.
Whichever way it happens though, this according to Sahara Reporters is how Federal Government plans to spend on Universities – it was published some weeks ago but for those who haven’t seen it – here it is.

Towards ending the ongoing FACE OFF between ASUU and the Federal Government, the Federal Government is committed to spending N200 billion in the 2014 budget on the universities as well as on each of the next three-four years until the universities are brought to world-class standard (Halelluyah somebody?) This is in addition to the N100 billion dedicated and already made available for 2013.
The government has also 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. (This increase in cash has been pledged for projects on the campuses aside the earned allowances due to the teachers have been increased from the initial N30 billion offer. ASUU initially rejected the offer totally insisting on policy implementation claiming that they don’t trust this government.) So, ASUU clearly go their wish.
This information is contained in an internal Federal University of Otuoke statement by Professor Bolaji Aluko, its Vice-Chancellor, as seen by SaharaReporters. Read the facts from the document below.

On the earned allowances, Prof. Aluko explained that: “Government will top it up with further releases once universities are through with the disbursement of this new figure of N40 million, so Vice-Chancellors are urged to expedite this disbursement within the shortest possible time using guiding templates that have been sent by the CVC,” the circular said.

Professor Aluko said the development followed meetings on September 19 and Oct 11 of representatives of the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, led by CVC Chairman, Prof. Hamisu of ATBU and ASUU Representatives led by its President, Dr. N. Fagge with the Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Arc. Namadi. Sambo, Minister of Education Barr. N. Wike and others.

Of great interest to stakeholders, Vice President Sambo, appealing to ASUU to call off the strike, apologized for the “take-it-or-leave-it” comments credited to the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at the onset of the strike. The Minister did not seem to have been involved in either meeting, perhaps as the government’s way of soothing the feelings of the university teachers.

Other points of agreement at the meetings include the following:

Project Prioritization:
Universities will now be allowed to determine their priorities and not be “rail-roaded” into implementing a pre-determined set of projects with respect to the NEEDS assessment. (Is somebody dancing already?)

Decisions are not to be centralized. TETFund Intervention:
Government assured that the operations of the TETFund will not be impaired, and that the regular TETFund intervention disbursement to Universities will continue, unaffected. So the NEEDS assessment capital outlays are in addition to regular TETFund intervention.

Project Monitoring:
A new Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC) for the NEEDS Assessment intervention for universities has been set up to take over from the Suswan Committee. The new one is under the Federal Ministry of Education and chaired by the Honorable Minister of Education. In addition, to build confidence and ensure faithful implementation and prevent any relapse as before, the Vice President will meet quarterly with the IMC to monitor progress.

Blueprint:
ASUU was mandated to submit a blue print for revitalizing the Universities to the Vice President. Prof. Aluko further stated that a signed document will soon be issued to itemize the full issues on which the consensus he had outlined here, as brokered by AVCNU, was reached.

Prof. Aluko further stated that a signed document will soon be issued to itemize the full issues on which the consensus he had outlined here, as brokered by AVCNU, was reached.

It would be great if all these promises are implemented as then, would it be a worthy strike – so, I guess we have to wait and see how this would play out once the strike is called off, officially. If we would start seeing some dramatic changes in our universities.