ASUU Ends 5-Month Strike; Promises Extra Work Hours …Parents Hail Decision As Christmas Gift …FG Reaffairms N1.3trn To Varsities …Set To Pay N20bn ASUP Arrears

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday suspended the five-month-old strike it embarked on July 1 to demand for the implementation of the FGN/ASUU 2009 agreement.

The ASUU President, Dr Nasir Fagge, announced the suspension at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, after the National Executive Council meeting of the union held last Monday.

Fagge said: “NEC resolved to suspend the strike embarked upon on 1st July, 2013, with effect from Tuesday, Dec. 17th, 2013 and directs its branches to resume work forthwith.”

He said ASUU expected the government to faithfully implement the resolutions.

They include immediate commencement of the revitalisation processes as contained in a letter with reference FME/PS/398/C.I/Vol 1.I/110 dated December 12, 2013, titled `Opening of a Dedicated Account for Revitalisation of Nigerian Universities.

The ASUU president said that the revitalisation funds for five years would be provided by government, noting. “We expect the implementation monitoring committee to ensure that the funds released will be used to meet the genuine revitalisation needs of the Nigerian public universities, with strict and disciplined supervision of the implementation process by the universities themselves.”

He said the union and the government agreed that an Implementation Monitoring Committee should meet to verify the level of implementation of the Earned Academic Allowances, adding that the Federal Government agreed to provide fund for the payment of outstanding balance.

Fagge said ASUU expected government to act quickly to engage the services of the universities in special consulting services as contained in the resolution.

“This is one of the challenges that the universities have been asking the government to throw to Nigerian universities; we are more than ready to meet the challenges,” he said.

He said the union would have preferred to undertake the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement in second quarter of 2014, but it was prevailed upon to shift the date to the third quarter.

The ASUU president urged parents and guardians to demand better funding, better living conditions, laboratories, freedom for their children to enable them to get all round education.

“We appeal to parents to take more interest in the proper education of their children and work with us for the revitalisation of public universities,” he said.

Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi, Abuja

President Goodluck Jonathan (5th left), Vice-President Namadi Sambo (6th left), Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim (3rd right) and members of the NDDC board after their inauguration at the Presidential Villa in Abuja last Monday.