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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