Chairman of the
Presidential Universities Needs Assessment Committee and Governor of Benue
State, Gabriel Suswam, stated yesterday, after more than three hours of meeting
between the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and the government team
at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), that
they failed to resolve their differences.
Suswam, however,
expressed optimism that the issues would soon be resolved going by the progress
made so far, especially with another round of negotiation on Monday.
“Well the meeting
continues next week Monday. We made some progress, we had very fruitful
discussion with ASUU and we have agreed that we are to meet again on Monday at
about 3 p.m. When we meet again, we would be able to arrive at some decisions,”
he said.
According to a
statement released by the Special Adviser on Media to Benue State Governor, Dr.
Cletus Akwaya after a meeting in Abuja last night at the Benue Governor’s Lodge
Asokoro, Suswam expressed optimism that the strike would be called off soon.
Although
implementation of the NEEDS report is just one of the many demands of the
striking union, negotiations will continue with the consideration of other
aspects of the lecturers’ demand. The matter on earned allowances would be
tackled at the next negotiation meeting next Monday.
“The Technical
Committee chaired by Dr Banfa, a nominee of ASUU, had proposed in its report
that the N100billion be shared to all the 61 federal and state universities in
the country for intervention in the areas of rehabilitation and construction of
lecture theaters and lecture halls; renovation and construction of libraries
and laboratories and rehabilitation and construction of hostels,” the statement
read in part.
“According to Banfa,
the 61 universities were categorised into four based on the size of students
enrollment saying the categories depended on the university with 30,000
students and above; 20,000 students and above; 15,000 students and 10,000
students and above respectively.”
“Each of the
universities would then be given its share of the fund to apply in the projects
already identified in the needs assessment report for immediate implementation”
it added.
“In adopting the
report, Suswam said everything would be done to avoid bureaucracy in the award
of contracts for the identified projects so that the campuses will immediately
witness a new lease of life with the coming on stream of the new projects.”
Suswam said President
Goodluck Jonathan had agreed to commence the construction of projects under the
N100billion stimulus package in a university to be selected to symbolise the
commencement of construction work in all the universities.”
Present at the
Implementation Committee meeting were Ministers of Education Prof. Ruqqayatu
Rufa’i and Nyesom Wike, Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu
and representatives of other education funding agencies of the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN), NNPC, PTDF, NITDA, NCC, TetFund and ASUU.
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