The striking lecturers’ demands include; funding for the revitalisation of public universities, Earned Academic Allowances, use of the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) and promotion arrears.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has stated that it is ready to call off its nationwide industrial action immediately the Nigerian government signs the negotiated agreement.
ASUU has been on strike for close to five months to press home its demands.
The striking lecturers’ demands include; funding for the revitalisation of public universities, Earned Academic Allowances, use of the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) and promotion arrears.
However, the ASUU President, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, during an interview on Channels TV asserted that the union was waiting for a positive response from President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
“As far as ASUU is concerned, the strike can end tomorrow, we have finished the negotiations, let the government call us this night that we should come tomorrow and sign the agreement, we will be there,” Osodeke said.
“Let government tell us they have finished testing the UTAS, we have accepted it. By tomorrow, we will call off the strike. We are finished (with negotiations).
“We are just waiting, and challenging the government. When will they sign the agreement, and when will they accept UTAS? Those are the two questions we need to ask the Nigerian government.”
The ASUU leader also accused the Federal Government of not taking the aggrieved lecturers serious, the reason he explained was responsible for the prolonged industrial action.
According to him, the government has failed to pay the striking lecturers their salaries for the past five months, noting that the tool used as a blackmail to punish the university workers will not work.