STRIKE: ASUU rejects FG’s fresh offer, insist on UTAS

CURSORY:

• The leadership of the House of Representatives, on Wednesday 29th September, invited ASUU to a meeting.

• The meeting was to find a way to end the ongoing strike, so the strike will end.

• The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) rejected the offer the government presented and insisted on UTAS.

The House of Representatives led by Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila met with members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities on Thursday.

The meeting was to find a way the resolve issues and end the Strike

Recall that ASUU has been on strike since the 14 of February, because the federal government failed to reach their demands.

Some of the unions demands are improved welfare, revitalisation of public universities and academic autonomy among other demands.

The meeting ended with the government urging ASUU to accept Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and the latter insisting on an independent and domesticated platform for university lecturers, challenging the National Information Technology Development Agency to prove that the University Transparency Accountability Solution recommended by it failed the integrity test.

The fresh offer made by the government, urged ASUU to accept a compromise, which is a modification of IPPIS to accommodate peculiarities UTAS seeks to recognise.

Gbajabiamila, in his closing remarks at the end of the meeting that lasted two hours, made a plea with to the academic Union to accept whatever the House eventually recommends in good faith.

He said:

“I believe this would be, hopefully, the last meeting we are going to have on this matter because from here, the leadership of the House will put together our reports, our recommendations, and our thoughts and take them to Mr President.

“I am hoping that whatever we have done, ASUU will accept it in good faith—this is an independent arm of the government—and that the government will accept it in good faith as well so that our children can return to school, which is what this is all about.”

The Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the report of the stakeholders’ roundtable and the recommendations of the parliament would soon be ready.

Read Also: Benue State Varsity Direct Students to resume classes amidst ASUU strike

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