ASUU strike: Return to class, FG urges varsity lecturers

The Federal Government on Friday appealed
to striking university lecturers to return to
work, saying a resolution to the 54-day
strike was under way.
The Secretary to the Government of the
Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, made
the appeal in Abuja during a meeting
between government's representatives and
Chairmen of Governing Councils of both
federal and state universities.
Anyim, who read out a number of
agreements held between government and
executives of the Academic Staff Union of
Universities since the commencement of the
strike, said the Federal Government had
shown enough commitment to ending the
impasse.
He said that the lecturers were being
inconsiderate with their demands.
Anyim's reaction, however, came on the
heels of recent threat by ASUU to
discontinue further deliberations with the
Federal Government's negotiation team.
ASUU began its current strike on July 1,
2013 following the failure of the
government to implement a 2009
agreement on public universities funding.
Anyim said, "Government is making every
effort to revitalise the university system by
this demonstration of clear commitment to
revitalise the university system. Government
hereby urges every staff of the nation's
universities to return to work as all issues
are being resolved."
The SGF also inaugurated the disbursement
of N130 bn sourced by the Gabriel Suswam-
led NEEDS implementation committee and
the Federal Government for revitalising
infrastructures within the university system
and settlement of earned allowances
arrears.
Anyim said most of the issues contained in
the 2009 agreement, which necessitated the
current strike had been fully met except for
the earned allowances which ASUU pegged
at N92bn.
He said, "On July 2, 2013, ASUU declared
what it called, total and indefinite strike over
issues it says have remained unresolved
pertaining to an agreement it reached with
government in 2009.
"It is pertinent to narrate the genesis of the
2009 agreement; ASUU went on strike
action in 2006 based on their request for a
review of personnel matters; on account of
this, government initiated a NEEDS
Assessment of the University System
comprising federal and states universities,
the negotiations led to the 2009 agreement.
"Some of these issues bothered on
amendment of pensionable retirement age
of academics in the professorial cadre,
Consolidated Peculiar Allowances."

source: punchng