ASUU: We have paid N92bn to lecturers – FG

 

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, has claimed that the federal government has so far paid over 92 Billion Naira to lecturers.

According to him, the federal government is working to resolve the issues, which led to the current strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Speaking with state house correspondents on Tuesday after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on the strike, Ngige said actions are on course to resolve the crisis.

“Why I said that the 2020 December agreement we had with ASUU is on course in terms of implementation, is that in that agreement, there is a line that says the federal government should pay N40 billion for earned academic allowances (EAA) for ASUU and other unions. That has been paid,” he said.

“N30 billion was also budgeted or was to be paid for revitalization. That also was paid late last year.

N22.127 billion was agreed also in that December agreement, to be paid from the supplementary budget as earned allowances for 2021. That money was also paid last year; it was put in the supplementary budget which was passed around June-July and the money was remitted. So, the government has done that.”

He said the controversy surrounding the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) payment platform as preferred by university lecturers, instead of the government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), is being considered.