The Federal Government has resolved to verify the claims by the Academic Staff Union of Universities that it owes its members about N92 billion in allowances.
The lecturers have thus vowed to carry on with the ongoing nationwide strike unless the N92 billion is made available to pay the allowances.
But government on its part is insisting that it could only make available N30 billion.
Realizing that the lecturers are not ready to shift grounds, the government has now resolved to meet with the managements and councils of the Universities with a view to verifying the allowances being claimed.
Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State, who heads the NEEDs Committee in the ongoing negotiation, briefed President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday on the progress made so far.
Suswam spoke with State House correspondents after the meeting, saying government has done enough by making N30 billion available to settle the allowances.
He said the decision to verify the claims was taken during a meeting attended by Vice President Namadi Sambo; himself; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim; the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqquayatu Rufai; and the Minister of Labour, Chief Emeka Wogu.
The meeting was presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan at the State House.
Governor Suswam also said government has agreed to make available another N100 billion to upgrade infrastructure in all federal universities and would be flagged off by the President from September.
He spoke further: “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 is 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.
“hat 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 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 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 these projects include hostels in our universities, classrooms and theatres, 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.”
Asked if government would be willing to shift ground by increasing the N30 billion, Governor Suswam had this to say: “Well, let me say that negotiation is still ongoing.
“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 of the 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.
“Yes, if ASUU said that this is the amount of money that the Federal Government is owing them and the Federal Government has shifted ground from its initial posture of there was no money to offering N30 billion, it means 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 to have moved to where we are today.”
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