Instead of seeking for ways to end the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Federal Government on Tuesday rather opted to meet with the Vice Chancellors of Universities with a view to verifying the N92 billion claims.
It would be recalled that the lecturers had claimed that government was owing tN92 billion in allowances, insisting that the strike will continue until the money is paid. Unfortunately, government has only made available N30 billion to pay the allowances.
Indication to verify ASUU claims was revealed yesterday by Governor Gabriel Suswam who briefed the press after the union and government officials met in a meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.
The meeting was attended by Vice President Namadi Sambo, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim; the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala; Minister of Education, Professor Ruqquayatu Rufai; and Labour, Emeka Wogu.
Suswam said though government is to verify the claims, it has however agreed to upgrade infrastructure in all the Federal Universities by earmarking N100 billion, adding that President Jonathan is ready to flag off the projects across the six geo-political zones.
He said: “I can say that we have made substantial progress and we are hoping that this strike should be called off based on some of the mechanisms that we have put in place to move the sector forward. We met extensively yesterday (Monday).
“You know there are two components to the whole issue, the needs assessment component, which s the one that I’m handling, we have to some large extent concluded on that, the earned allowance committee, which is being headed by the SGF, that is where there are some contentions, but as you must have heard, the federal government made an offer of N30 billion to assist the various Councils of our universities to be able to pay the earned allowances.
“There is also N100 billion that is why myself, the Minister of Finance, the SGF, the ministers of education, labour, the Chief of Staff and the VP have just risen from a meeting to take some decisions that would end the strike and the President has instructed us as to what to do and he has shown a lot of commitments and flagging off a project worth about N 1 00 billion in all the universities in the country about 61 of them.
“So we are hoping that we will be able to see the end of the strike very soon if at the end of the day ASUU is satisfied with the measures that have so far been taken. The federal government will also be meeting with the university councils and vice chancellors of our universities within the week towards updating them on some of the decisions taken.
“The President has graciously agreed that in the first week of September he will be able to flag-off the projects. You also know that the procurement process will have to be followed and theseprojects includes hostels in our universities, classrooms and theaters, libraries and laboratories amongst others, some are renovation some are new and all the 61 universities are going to benefit from one project or another, so it is not going to be selective, all the universities are going to benefit from this infrastructural revitalization of our universities.
“The federal government said it is assisting the university councils with the sum of N30 billion for them to go and verify the people who actually earn these allowances and pay them. I think that the government had demonstrated some substantial faith”.