From Abuja
There are strong indications that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has finally agreed to call off its eight-month strike.
The Reporters gathered that the leadership of the union reached the consensus during a meeting with representatives of Federal government, led by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, in Abuja, on Friday, November 27, 2020.
According to Punch, the FG also promised to pay N40 billion as the Earned Allowance and N30bn for the revitalisation of the university system, bringing the total payment to N70 billion.
The online publication also gathered that government promised to settle the arrears of salaries of the lecturers before December 31.
Our correspondent reports that the development follows, a week after the government agreed to exempt ASUU members from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), pending the approval of their proposed payment system, the University Transparency and Accountability Solution.
ASUU is expected to report the agreement to its organs and then communicate their decision to the government after which a date for the calling off of the strike would be announced.
Some university under graduates in Lokoja,who spoke with The Reporters expressed joy over development, adding that it would end their endless waiting for the call of the strike and the psychological trauma they had been subjected to since the strike, March this year.
Mohammed AbdulRahzaq, a third year mechanical engineering student, Federal University, Minna, said that he could not wait to resume his study, following the agreement by ASUU to resume academic activities.
“No doubt,the ASUU strike has wasted substantial time we would have used to pursue our education aspiration, however, we thank God, ASUU and the Federal government for ensuring the call off the strike'” he said.
