ASUU Asks For Patience Over Lingering Strike

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities has pleaded with Nigerians to be patient with it, stressing that the ongoing strike was meant to help entrench quality education in the education system.

A press statement signed by National President, ASUU, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, indicated that ASUU was at the final stage of the integrity test of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution with the National Information Technology Development Agency.

Ogunyemi also revealed that UTAS was developed locally by ASUU members unlike IPPIS, which was engineered by the World Bank.

“Nigerians should bear with us; ASUU is doing their battle. Our union is struggling to ensure that the children of the poor, who cannot afford the prohibitive cost paid in private universities or do not have opportunities to study outside Nigeria, get quality education, which is not priced beyond their reach.

“This will only happen when government adequately funds public universities and addresses the rot and decay in them.

“ASUU is at the final stage of the integrity test of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution with the National Information Technology Development Agency. UTAS was developed locally by ASUU members unlike IPPIS, which was engineered by the World Bank.”

He stressed that ASUU had shifted positions in some areas, adding that government was punishing university teachers because they rejected IPPIS, which was imposed on the universities against the provisions of the law on autonomy and universal practices.

“For instance, our members have reduced their demand of one tranche (N220bn) of the outstanding revitalisation fund by 50 per cent. The union has also agreed that N30bn out of the so far verified arrears of N40bn of the earned academic allowances be paid to our members while the balance of N10b could be spread over the next two tranches.

“We were equally making steady progress on other issues. What has stalled meaningful dialogue was government’s insistence that payment of the withheld salaries and other entitlements of our members would only be effected through IPPIS.”