ASUU may call off strike next week *Demands slash of lawmakers' salaries by 2014

Abuja

THE about five-month-old strike embarked
upon by members of Academic Staff Union
of Universities (ASUU) may be called off next
week.
It was gathered that the union would
conclude consultations with its members and
may resume class soon.
The union, it was also gathered, had asked
the Federal Government to slash across
board, salaries of National Assembly
members, ministers and other political office
holders by 2014.
The demand was placed on the Federal
Government at a marathon meeting
leadership of the union held with President
Goodluck Jonathan and other key
government officials at the Presidential
Villa, on Monday.
ASUU president, Dr Nasir Isa Fagge, could not
confirm this, as calls put to him on his
mobile line were unsuccessful, but ASUU
source told the Nigerian Tribune in Abuja
that the demand formed part of their
deliberations on Monday to early hours of
Tuesday.
The source said ASUU had suggested this
based on the complaint by the Federal
Government that it had no money to
implement all aspects of the 2009 agreement
as demanded.
Nigerian Tribune, however, gathered that
branch chairmen of the ASUU had been
directed to brief their members on the offer
by President Jonathan, which is largely an
addition of N20 billion to the N200 billion
already agreed upon with Vice President
Namadi Sambo to be released to universities
annually.
According to the fresh pact, the Federal
Government had agreed to release N220
billion yearly to the public universities,
beginning from 2014 till the next five years.
It was also gathered that the meeting adopted
the accord struck by the vice president with
the union, on the need to increase the N30
billion already released for the payment of
academic earned allowance to N40 billion.
According to sources, government also
agreed that the N40 billion should be
regarded only as first instalment, and not a
once-and-for-all payment.
At the meeting, the government assured that
it would, among other things, revamp the
public universities by ensuring that all those
issues that always led to strike were dealt
with once and for all.
ASUU president had, after the meeting, told
reporters that his team would take back the
message of President Jonathan to varsity
teachers before a decision would be taken on
the next line of action.