NAN
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has called on the Federal Government to implement the 2017 Memorandum of Action (MoA) for the development of the education sector in the country.
Mr Theophilus Lagi, the Zonal Coordinator, Abuja branch, made this call while briefing newsmen on Tuesday in Gwagwalada, Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the briefing was held to address the collapse of the renegotiation of 2009 ASUU/FGN agreement.
Lagi said that the union was running out of patience with government inaction in addressing the issues in contention.
He said that ASUU would not hesitate to embark on strike if necessary steps are not taken to address the demands forthwith.
Lagi said the 2009 agreement renegotiation team, led by Dr Wale Babalakin, was given a time line of four weeks but had dragged on to fourteen months without a headway.
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“The continued failure of government to honour our agreement clearly demonstrates that it has no interest in addressing the decay in the university system.
“ASUU calls for the reconstitution of the current government team to allow a less-fixated leader and Chairman of the FGN-ASUU Renegotiation Team.
“We demand the immediate release of the N20 billion revitalisation funds as agreed in the 2017 MoA.
“The union also calls for the payment of salary arrears in all the universities that have met the PICA requirement.
“ASUU also demands the release of NUPEMCO’s operational license, since all queries by the National Pension Commission have been addressed,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, Lagi said a tripartite meeting with the federal and state governments and ASUU, had become imperative to discuss the undeserving proliferation of universities and the undue interference in the affairs of state universities.