Jonathan intervenes in ASUP 10-month strike

By Unknown

Monday, 7 April 2014

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President Goodluck Jonathan has begun the direct intervention to reconcile the grey areas in the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) demands.

This followed the rejection of the two payments by instalment to resolve the union’s prolonged strike.
ASUP’s President Chibuzor Asomugha told our reporter that the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, had briefed President Jonathan on the remaining area of dispute – the payment of arrears of allowances.

Asomugha said Dr Jonathan, last Monday, met some top Presidency officials, Wike and officials of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) and the Federal Ministry of Education to conclude the payment of the arrears.

ASUP and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) had insisted that the Federal Government pay the entire N40 billion at once.

It was learnt that at the last meeting with Wike, in a bid to convince the ASUP officials, explained that the payment schedule for the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) earned allowances was settled by instalments, the first being N30 billion.

The universities were said to have more workers and spread than the polytechnics and the colleges of education.

Another meeting was later called with the governing councils in attendance. The same issue on the mode of payment dominated the agenda, it was learnt.

The other key issues that have been resolved are on the establishment of NEEDS Assessment committees and the setting up of governing councils.

The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), our reporter learnt, has concluded work on the White Paper for visitation panels. The White Paper will be released in the next few weeks.