“Most Agreements signed between ASUU & FG was to just allow Students resume at the time” says Perm Sec, Ministry of Edu

Sonny Echono, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, has disclosed that most agreements reached between ASUU and FG are signed under duress, usually to end the prevailing crisis, especially when students have been at home for several months coupled with the pressure from the public on the need to reach compromise for a particular strike to be called off.

According to him, this is why most of the agreements reached between the two parties had not been implemented.

Sonny Echono said this during a retreat in Abuja, organized by the governing council of the University of Abuja, for principal officers, deans, directors and university-based unions.

He insisted that only a sustainable funding model that allows universities to practise their professed autonomy will guarantee industrial peace and harmony in public universities in Nigeria.

In his words: “I have heard so much about the fact that the government has failed to honour the agreements it made with the ASUU. I have a different view about that because most of these agreements are imperfect.

“If somebody comes to my house and puts a gun to my head, I might agree to everything because those agreements are signed under duress.

“If you want to introduce obligations or responsibilities on their part, they will insist you cannot”