Following the Federal Government's approval to exempt Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) from the Integrated Payroll and Information System (IPPIS), paying salaries of ASUU members using a different mode of payment, Dr. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment has said that the Federal Government's decision regarding salaries of ASUU is temporary.
The Federal Government has agreed to pay the salaries of members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) using a different mode of payment other than the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
The Federal Government has resumed negotiation with members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Friday over the lingering eight-month-old strike by the union. The union embarked on a nationwide industrial action on March 23 to demand “revitalisation allowance”, earned academic allowances, renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, visitation panels, among other demands. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, presiding over their latest meeting in Abuja. In his opening remarks, the minister explained that the meeting should have reconvened before now but had to wait for inputs from all the ministries involved, as well as from President Muhammadu Buhari.
Following the proposed reform in the teaching profession that is being proposed by the Buhari administration, the Federal Government has vowed to only henceforth engage the first class and second class upper graduates to teach. The government said teachers without requisite qualifications would not be considered for teaching jobs.
The minister of labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, has expressed optimism that the prolonged strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities will be resolved by next week when the Federal Government team meets the union leaders again. The minister however said the Nigerian government will consider “options” if ASUU fails to resolve its issues by then and continues strike. Ngige complained that the union was not considering the challenges their demands would create. The minister said even if countries go to war, they eventually meet at the negotiation table. He said “There are so many options left. We have the labour laws and I have options left to me in the labour laws. I have other channels.”
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has concluded plans to embark on a nationwide mass protest to demand the immediate reopening of all universities across the country. This is part of resolutions reached in a communiqué issued on Wednesday in Enugu after NANS Students' Leaders Emergency Virtual Meeting held on November 9. The students' leaders lamented that the continued strike was an organized crime against students' career and educational pursuits. It said that NANS with no hesitation declares 14-day Ultimatum for both parties (ASUU and FG) to resolve their impasse for campuses to re-open or risk Mass Protest tagged #EndASUUStrike which will have an economic shut down as the major target.
