ASUU Strike: Why FG Released Only N30bn

The federal government through FG's Needs Assessment Committee has explained why it released only N30 billion rather than the N92 billion demanded by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as part of the 'earned allowance.'

Benue State governor Gabriel Suswam, who heads the Committee, while speaking on Tuesday in Abuja during a meeting with the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) said the government had to verify that the earned allowance being requested by ASUU is up to N92 billion.
Suswam also said the N30 billion was on Tuesday released to the Ministry of Education to ensure immediatedistribution to the university councils.
He noted that only the university councils could carry out such verification, government cannot hand out money without verification.
He noted that government would release more money if after due process had been followed a deficit was noted.
He said, "On the issue of earned allowance, the government has accepted in principle the payment of earned allowance which ASUU valued at N92billion. What the FG has done is to release an initial sum of N30billion and we appealed to ASUU to go and verify exactly how much each person is owed so we would know how the figure of N92 billion was arrived at."
Suswam appealed to lectures to return to work as he disclosed that government had already released the N30billion in question the previous day to the Ministry of Education which would in turn release it other governing councils.
"We have appealed to ASUU to take this initial sum and verify how much each person is being owed. If at the end of the day, we find out that we underpaid, we make up for the deficit but ASUU has refused this strategy, insisting that the entire lump sum of N92billion be paid to them upfront," he said.
The governor added that for the sake of Nigerian students, ASUU should bring an end to strike.
NANS president, Yinka Gbadebo while speaking with journalist said the students decided to pay a visit to the governor so as to hear the government's side of the story.
He said the students had earlier met with the leadership of ASUU, the minister of education and the executive secretary of NUC.
"We are here to hear your own side of the story because since the beginning of the strike, there has been so much pressure on us to go into the streets to protest but we don't believe protest should be the first port of call. All we are told is that we the Nigerian students need to protest in order to coerce the government into meeting the demands of ASUU but we want to know firsthand what the government has done to ensure the reopening of our universities as soon as possible," he said.

Via Ipaidabribenaija
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