ASUU Strike Should End Immediately - President Jonathan

Goodluck Jonathan

Nigeria's President, Goodluck Jonathan has directed the committees meeting with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) that an immediate resolution of the issues should ave an end to it, so that the university lecturers could go back to work.

The Chairman of the presidential committee on NEEDS assessment of universities and Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam told State House correspondents on Tuesday that,"we 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 kicking off a project worth about N100 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 taken. The Federal Government will also be meeting with the university councils and vice chancellors within the week, towards updating them on some of the decisions taken."

Governor Suswam also said tat the Federal Government will be meeting the councils and vice chancellors to resolve the N92 billion earned allowance being claimed by the striking lecturers.

He also said the council should verify those that would benefit from the N30 billion that was approved by the Federal Government to assist the university authorities in the payment of the allowance, noting that negotiation with ASUU was ongoing.

Though the Federal Government had shifted grounds, Governor Suswam said, "the Federal Government has opted to also meet with the councils and managements of the universities, because earned allowance is something that can be certified by the management and councils.

"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 the government had demonstrated so substantial faith.

"Yes, if ASUU said this is the amount of money that the Federal Government is owing them and the government has shifted ground from its initial posture that there was no money and offered N30 billion, it mens we are moving forward and with a N100 billion available now for addressing the physical infrastructure deficit in our universities,  I think the Federal Government has done quite well," he said.

Governor Suswam however remained hopeful that the ongoing strike would be called off soon base on the offers that the Federal Government had given the union.