News as FG Schedules Another Meeting With ASUU

Current news report reaching us disclose that the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, is expected to hold a crucial meeting with the federal government on Thursday.

This meeting is at the instance of the Ministers of Labour and education.

The President of ASUU, Biodun Ogunyemi, has confirmed this meeting.

ASUU Strike: Update from Presidency as FG Might Not Be Able To Meet Lecturers Demands

It is gathered that the office of the presidency has described the strike action embarked upon by ASUU is totally unnecessary.

This was disclosed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu in an interview on Channels Television’s programme, Sunrise Daily yesterday..

According to him, the amount of money being demanded by the union was unrealizable.

He mentioned that the leaders of ASUU were aware of the fact that the

TETFund, JAMB, FG Discriminate Against Polytechnic Graduates And Teachers — ASUP

The latest news reaching us has it that the Nigeria's polytechnic sector is being discriminated against by the Federal Government,Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board(JAMB) and theTertiary Education Trust Fund(TETFund), says the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP).

Speaking with journalist in Abuja, ASUP National President, ComradeChibuzo Asomugha, said graduates and staff of polytechnics unfairly treated, relegated to the background and undermined by government policies and bodies.

"[Polytechnic] graduates and teachers are pathetically and consistently judged, not by the strength and character of their knowledge, learning and skills, but by the addresses of their institutions,"Asomugha said.
He accused TETFund of going against the distribution ratio prescribed by law the disbursement of fund.

“The distribution of the fund between universities, polytechnics and colleges of

FG Urged By NASU To Pay N62bn Earned Allowances To Workers Read More

This is to inform you that the Federal Government has been urged by the non-academic staff Union of Universities to pay an outstanding N62bn earned allowances to their members.

The unions under the umbrella of the Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions and the National Association of Academic Technologists are calling on the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to ensure the payment of the allowances before handing over to the new administration.

The spokesman for the unions, Mr. Samson Ugwoke said that the

New Governing Councils For 12 Universities And 4 Polytechnics Inaugarated By FG

This is to inform you that the Federal Government inaugurated new governing councils for 12 universities and 4 polytechnics.

The 12 universities include Federal University, Lokoja, Lafia, Kashere, Wukari, Dutsin-Ma, Dutse, Ndufu, Alike, Oye-Ekiti, Otuoke, Birnin-Kebbi, Gusau, and Federal University, Gashua.

The polytechnics are Federal Polytechnic of Oil & Gas, Bonny, Federal Polytechnic, Ile-Oluji, Federal Polytechnic, Ukana, and National Institute of

FG Meet ASUP Today Over Impending Strike.

This is to inform you that the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics today meet in Abuja with the federal Government to find a way of averting the imminent strike action proposed by ASUP to commence tomorrow 25th of February, 2015.

Part of the demands of the union includes as listed “the Federal Government should, without further delay dissolve the Governing Councils of the Federal polytechnics Oko and Ado Ekiti as they have become burdens rather than solutions to the myriad of problems bedeviling the sector.

“That the circular issued by the Ministry of Education suspending the implementation CONTISS 15 Migration be withdrawn with

FG Approves N20.4b Arrears To Striking ASUP

 

The Federal Government on Tuesday agreed to pay N20.4 billion arrears of new salary structure to the striking polytechnic lecturers, Supervising Minister for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, has said.

Wike made this known at a meeting with the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) in Abuja.

He said what was delaying the payment was an agreement by both parties on the modalities for the payment.
According to him, the CONTISS salary structure being agitated for by the union had been approved and also included in the 2014 budget.

The minister said with the

Strike: FG Agrees To Pay ASUP N20b Salary Arrears

 

Striking lecturers under the aegis of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) have gotten assurance from Federal Government to pay N20.4 billion salary arrears owed the lecturers.

The information came to the fore on Tuesday, in Abuja when the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, held a joint meeting with executive members of ASUP and the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS).

He however said as soon as modalities for the payment are agreed upon between both parties, the payment will be effected.

He said the CONTISS salary structure being agitated for by the union had been approved and also included in the 2014 budget.

He said the CONTISS issue had brought the resolution of three out of four of the demands being made by the lecturers.

Wike at the meeting noted that the only outstanding issue yet to be resolved was the

FG To Meet With ASUP Over Lingering Strike

Report Reaching Nigeria Education Updates State that in a bid to resolve the ongoing seven months strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, the Federal Government would meet with the leadership of the union today in Abuja.

The meeting is expected to be presided over by the Supervising Minister of Education, Barr. Nyesom Wike.
The Minister will after the meeting brief leaders of the National Association of Polytechnic Students on efforts of the Federal Government to improve polytechnic education in the country.

The meeting is also aimed at reaching an agreement on the last issue yet to be resolved from the list of demands placed by ASUP before the Federal Government.

Under the High Impact Development Scheme through TETFUND, the administration invested N12 billion to improve facilities in 12 selected polytechnics, with each of the polytechnics getting N1billion .

The administration also released a grant of N1 billion to federal and state polytechnics for the

Strike: ASUP, COEASU Lock Horns With FG

The ongoing strike by unions in the nation’s polytechnics and colleges of education comes on the heels of the over five-month-old strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

In a three-page letter dated December 18, 2013, President of the National Association of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union, Mr. Asagha Nkoro, spelt out in clear terms why the union was embarking on the strike action it commenced last month.

In the letter, COEASU stated that the Federal Government had failed to honour its agreement with the union despite having a series of talks with it between September and December 2013.

“It is common knowledge that COEASU leadership had always felt that the talks held so far with government representatives were well-intentioned.

“While the government held series of talks with the union leadership between September and December 2013 (specifically six times; four of which were attended by the appropriate Minister of Education and also Labour and Productivity), evidences abound that the government does not wish to keep her side of the bargain in meeting the understanding reached at such meetings. This, without equivocation, is unacceptable to our union given the peculiar high nuisance and volatile nature of the colleges of education sector,” the letter read.

On December 18, 2013, COEASU embarked on the

Strike: ASUP Blames FG For Abandoning Polytechnic Education

Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, has alleged abandonment by the Federal Government as the strike declared by lecturers in the sub-sector enters its seventh month.

ASUP had gone on strike April 17, 2013, to press home demands for government’s proper funding of polytechnic education as well as address the disparity between the polytechnics and university graduates in the country.

ASUP president laments
National President of ASUP, Mr. Chibuzor Asomugha, lamented that the government was killing polytechnic education in Nigeria as several meetings held with government to ensure re-opening of polytechnics yielded no fruits.

Asomugha argued that the lack of interest by government to implement its promises for polytechnics to be re-opened was a deliberate ploy to deny students of Polytechnics access to education.

Expressing concern that efforts to draw the attention of the Nigerian public might be given political colouration and union leaders branded as working for opposition political parties against the government, Asomugha appealed to all relevant stakeholders to intervene on behalf of the poor students who might not have somebody in government to speak for them.

Lack of interest from FG
On why government has not shown interest in the lingering strike, the ASUP boss appealed to relevant stakeholders to prevail on the government, Minister of Education, Permanent Secretary and Minister of Labour to do the needful.

He said: “I am not going to be talking for government, we have been in this, they have given us promises, they have not been fulfilling them.

“The promises were simple things, we even had the understanding where they promised to implement within one week and it is more than four months now, everybody should reach government and let them tell Nigerians what are the problems. I cannot be speaking for government, what I know is that

Enejere’s Removal: UNN JAC Wants FG To Set Up Panel Of Inquiry

As the demand for the immediate removal of the Vice Chancellor, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Professor Bartho Okolo, and reinstatement of the pro-chancellor, Dr. Emeka Enejere, gets messier, the Joint Action Committee of the institution has called on the Federal Government to set up panel of inquiry to look into the crisis in the university.

ASUU chairperson and chairman of JAC, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, chapter, Dr. Ifeanyi Abada, announced this in a prayer rally held at the freedom square of the university yesterday, explaining that illegality and criminal tendencies had taken the centre stage of the university administration since the inception of Prof. Bartho Okolo as the vice chancellor.

Dr. Abada said JAC comprises ASUU, SSANU, NASU and NAT, adding that they all demanded the express removal of the vice chancellor.

He said the Federal Government should as a matter of urgency and necessity set up a panel of inquiry to stop the illegal internal deduction and refund such money to members of staff.

The JAC chairman explained that they were not only protesting the removal of the vice chancellor but also demanded the immediate recall of all staff of the institution on suspension for the past two years on the orders of the vice chancellor, explaining that the committee also demanded a total stoppage of deductions of electricity bills for staff on campus.

Counting the many faults of Prof. Okolo as vice chancellor of the university, the

Provost Urges FG To Allow Colleges of Education To Offer Degree Programmes

The management of the College of Education IIorin, on Sunday appealed to the Federal Government to allow state colleges of education to offer degree programmes in the country.

The Provost of the college, Dr. Isiaka Opobiyi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin that the programme would be necessary because of the large number of Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) holders yet to obtain university degrees.

He said if the degree programme was approved, it would cater for shortage of teachers in secondary schools.

“The award of degrees programme by state colleges of education will enable NCE graduates to obtain degrees in an education discipline,” the provost said.

Opobiyi added that the government on the other hand could affiliate state colleges of education to universities closer to them for the award of degrees.

He said the measure would improve the standard of teaching, which would bring

Bleak Xmas For Varsity Lecturers…As FG Fails To Pay Salaries

LECTURERS in the nation’s public universities may face bleak Christmas and New Year celebrations, as they did not receive their salaries in the last five months.

The teachers only last Tuesday ended their 169-day strike.

They embarked on the strike on July 1 to demand the implementation of an agreement their umbrella body, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, reached with the Federal Government in 2009.

The ASUU President, Dr. Nasir Fagge, who announced the suspension of the strike last Tuesday, said the union had accepted the resolutions it signed with the government on December 11.

The resolutions include immediate commencement of the revitalisation processes as contained in a letter with reference number FME/PS/398/C.1/Vol i.1/110, dated December 12, 2013, entitled, “Opening of Dedicated Account for Revitalisation of Nigerian Universities.”

But barely one week after the strike ended and 24 hours to Christmas, findings by our correspondents showed that the teachers had yet to collect their salaries.

A lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, noted that they did not receive their August, September, October, November and

SSANU Threatens Strike, Warns FG

The Senior Staff Association of the Nigerian Universities (SSANU),Western Zone, yesterday threatened to down tools if the Federal Government decides to fully implement the Needs Assessment Report which it described as poisonous to Non-Academic Staff in universities.

Addressing newsmen on the issues raised by the Prof. Yakubu led Needs Assessment Committee at a lecture held at the University of Benin (UNIBEN), the National Vice President and chairman Western Zone, of the SSANU, Comrade Alfred Jimoh, said the association had earlier faulted the composition of the Needs committee set up by the Federal Government to identify the gaps in the university system.

He said the committee was not only “lopsided but one sided because it excluded both students and the non-teaching staff in the system and compromise only members of the Academic Staff and the then incumbent President of ASUU. “The report of the committee is laced with some poisonous and odious recommendations against the Non teaching staff, which we

FG Suspends UNN Chairman Of Governing Council

The Federal Government on Tuesday in Abuja suspended Dr Emeka Enejere, the Chairman/ Pro-Chancellor of University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Governing Council with immediate effect.

This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Simeon Nwakaudu, the Special Assistant on Media to the Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike.

The statement said that the suspension was announced by the supervising minister of education.

Enejere was appointed as the Chairman of UNN Governing Council in April this year. (NAN)

ASUU STRIKE: FG Summons VCs To Abuja For Crucial Meeting

The Federal government had given university lecturers an ultimatum to resume classes today, Monday 9 December but the lecturers refused to obey this directive.

Following the university lecturers refusal to call off the lingering strike and resume classes, the Federal Government has summoned all Vice Chancellors of federal and state universities to a crucial meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.

Also invited to the meeting were members of the Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC) On Needs Assessment Report for inauguration.

This was contained in a statement signed by the