FG agrees to release N30 billion to striking lecturers

The Federal Government has agreed to release N30 billion earned academic allowance to the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

The Government will pay the money in tranches between May 2021 and January 2022.

As part of the concession to end the seven-month strike, the government also pledged to spend N20bn on the revitalisation of the education sector.

These agreements were reached during the meeting between the Federal Government and the academic staff union leadership on Thursday.

At the yesterday’s meeting, the body of lecturers, insisted that the government should pay their outstanding salaries through GIFMIS before full implementation of University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS, but the government insisted on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS

ASUU, also yesterday, directed all its members across universities in Nigeria to reject IPPIS officials coming to various campuses on Monday for biometric data capturing of its members.

This was contained in an official letter, signed by Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, President of ASUU and sent to all zonal coordinators and all its members on Thursday.

The union vowed not to jeopardize the ongoing critical engagement with federal government.

In the letter, ASUU said it has been informed that IPPIS officials from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, AGF, will be going around university campuses from Monday 19th October, 2020.

ASUU National President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi

“All ASUU members should have nothing to do with them. Fact-Check by ASUU with the figures from the OAGF has proven the claim that our members are trooping to enroll in the IPPIS in Abuja as false,” the letter said.

It further described the enrolled number as inconsequential.

ASUU said, “The leadership of our great Union is fully aware of the hardship the non-payment of salaries by the Accountant-General and other forms of intimidation by over-zealous Vice-Chancellors have unleashed on our membership and we are leaving no stone unturned to redress the situation.

“Therefore, all members of ASUU should STAY AWAY from anything related to IPPIS, so as not to jeopardize the ongoing critical engagement with the Federal Government.”

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