Following Nigeria’s Education Minister Adamu Adamu’s statement on Tuesday that the government approved an extra N25 billion allowance for members of ASUU, the Union says it will go on strike if government does not fulfill its part of the agreement. The National President of ASUU Pro. biodun Ogunyemi, in Abuja on Thursday, faulted the release of the money, saying it was late. Ogunyemi said the money should have been released in February 2019, as agreed, as it was a part-payment of the earned academic allowances. “Since information on the amounts mentioned in the media went round, the ASUU has been inundated with enquiries on the union’s perspective to the story,” he said. “Funding for the revitalisation of public universities has for years been of very high priority to ASUU. “Reaching an agreement with the Federal Government has often been a frustrating journey for our union. It is often marked with protests, strikes and requires a conscious and focused engagement. “T he 2001 agreement, which gave birth to the 2009 agreement, was not an exemption. The exception here is the personality leading the government negotiation team.” “The current leadership of the government team clearly lacks the academic disposition and humility needed to undertake such task. “Our members enjoy their work and hate to see any disruption in the smooth running of our universities. “However, the level of frustration occasioned by the lackadaisical attitude of the government towards meeting the terms of the 2019 Memorandum of Action that was freely signed with our union is increasingly becoming unbearable. “We, therefore, call on all Nigerian patriots, parents and students including the Nigeria Labour Congress to prevail on the government to keep to the terms of our agreement. Otherwise, our union should not be held responsible for any disruption in the system.”
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