The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) stated that it is ready to call off the over three-month-old strike if the federal government meets certain conditions.
It was reported that the leadership of ASUU stated that the conditions to be met include the federal government’s acceptance of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) payment platform and its concurrence with the 2009 agreement.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised hopes among students that it is close to calling off the ongoing strike, which has lasted for over three months.
ASUU on Monday issued a condition that would cause it to immediately call off the strike, which led to the closure of many public universities in Nigeria.
Prof. Emmanuel Osedeke, ASUU president, challenged the federal government to accept the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) payment platform, thereby calling off the ongoing strike.
Speaking on Channels Television on Monday night, Osedeke said the strike will continue unless the government accepts UTAS and honour the 2009 agreement.
“Let the government tell us they have finished testing the UTAS and sign the agreement; then tomorrow we will call off the strike,” Osedeke said.
“We challenge the government: when will they sign the agreement? When would they accept UTAS? These are the two questions we should ask the Nigerian government.”
The ASUU president stated that their demands are in the best interest of Nigerian students who are learning in unconducive environments.
“Go to Ghana or South Africa and see if you can compare them – that is our struggle – we call ourselves the giants of Africa.
“We are simply waiting for the government to sign the agreement. Once that is done, we will call off the strike.”
ASUU has been at loggerheads with the federal government for over three years due to its refusal to honour the 2009 agreement it entered into with the union.
Some of the demands in the agreements include the condition of service of university lecturers to be reviewed every five years, the issue of salaries and allowances, revitalisation of public universities, the University Transparency Accountability Solution and the alleged inconsistencies in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) payment platform, which the government insists will be used to pay lecturers.
