The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, on August 22, 2013, Thursday, described as highly embarrassing, the statement credited to the Coordinating Minister of the economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. The statement said that the lecturers were making a fresh demand from the Federal Government.
Dr. Usman Abubakar, ASUU zonal coordinator in Bauchi, told the newsmen that ASUU was not making fresh demand, but asking for the implementation of existing agreement, while the Minister’s position was opposite.
“Contrary to the Minister’s assertion that “ASUU is demanding for N92 billion”, we wish to inform the public that the said amount is a debt, not a demand. It is a debt the Federal Government is owing staff of affected universities (both academic and non-academic) over a period of four years. The Federal Government has to pay, if it has to show signs of a responsible and honourable government.”
The ASUU coordinator also expressed shock at the insincerity and antics of the government, saying the Minister’s pronouncement was a deliberate and calculated attempt to blackmail ASUU, confuse the public and reduce ASUU’s patriotic cause to a mere payment of allowances.
According to Dr. Abubakar, the Minister’s comment is an indication that government had no intention of honouring the agreement, saying “how could the minister have made the claim of no money to honour the agreement when the finance ministry was represented throughout the negotiations in the 2009 ASUU/FGN agreement and the MoU. What could be more dishonourable and deceitful by a government than this?”
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