The demands bordered on the funding of the Nigerian University education and other sundry issues which President Muhammadu Buhari's government reneged.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) on Thursday, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to pull together the returned $23 million and N18.9 billion allegedly spent on “bush clearing” to offset the funding demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and end the over six months’ industrial action.
SaharaReporters had reported that the umbrella body of the lecturers across the country on February 24, embarked on a four-week warning strike to force the Federal Government to implement 2009 ASUU/FG Agreement.
The demands bordered on the funding of the Nigerian University education and other sundry issues which President Muhammadu Buhari's government reneged.
The over six months’ strike which had paralysed academic activities had attracted condemnations from several groups including protests from the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), calling on the federal government to end it.
The Nigerian government in other hands had since declared that it lacked financial resources to fund the university education in Nigeria.
Few days ago, the federal government after reportedly meeting demands of ASUU, it had refused to pay six months arrears of salaries when there was no work.
On the other hand, ASUU has insisted that the payment of all the salary arrears for the six months of strike was the only condition left to call off the strike.
But SERAP on Thursday, took to its twitter handle @SERAPNigeria to urge President Buhari to deploy the $23million returned Abacha loot to clearing funding of ASUU demands.
It tweeted, "We urge President Buhari to immediately add the recently returned $23m Abacha loot to the N18.9 billion reportedly spent on 'bush clearing', and use the funds to offset the funding for ASUU, so that poor Nigerian children can go back to school."
Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called for an immediate end to the strike, while accusing ASUU of being selfish, inconsiderate and insensitive to the plight of students.