The ASUU-FG debacle has become a spectacle to hide our faces for. The world may be looking at it and be wondering ‘why the heck are these men playing with the future of these young people?’

The back and forth is also worrisome, and the headlines do not even do anyone any good. In a tweet, an ASUU update page tweeted:

#BREAKING: Again, ASUU-FG Meeting Ended With Dreadlock.

#BREAKING: Again, ASUU-FG Meeting Ended With Dreadlock#ASUU#ASUUstrike

— Official_ASUU (@ASUUNGR) March 1, 2022

It was tweeted March 1, 2022, and the handler has not thought of correcting the error. Instead, it was pinned. The handler must be busy attending to Labour Minister Chris Ngige, and Education Minister Adamu Adamu as per the ASUU president, but that is not the main problem.

Lecturers are not ready to go back to class until FG agrees to meet their demands. In fact, SSANU has threatened to go on strike because their own demands have not been met either.

Repeat after us: the academic careers of young Nigerians is being used as football.

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The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) President, Mohammed İbrahim, said, “it was agreed that the 2009 Agreement should be reviewed every three years but 12 years after, not even 50 per cent was implemented.

“We (leadership of SSANU and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions) are going to meet in a few days to take our position.”

You can only imagine it. Public schools will be completely shut and students will become ‘street’ boys and girls who look like they have nothing better to do. But, wait for it.

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) says it will embark on a solidarity strike with ASUU if the federal government does not resolve the lingering issues with the academics within two weeks.

TUC president, Comrade Quadri Olaleye said in a statement, “everything must be done to dispense with this impasse within two weeks, to avoid a situation where the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria will embark on a solidarity strike with the University Teachers and their Students.

Read also: ASUU update: Labour Minister promises, ASUU reports deadlock

“Government must engage ASUU in constructive negotiations to find lasting solution to their complaints without further delay.”

The Labour Minister, Chris Ngige, has given update on negotiation with ASUU.

He said the Federal Government had so far paid over ₦92 billion as earned allowances and revitalisation fees to federal-owned universities across the country. Ngige said this was part of the implementation of the 2020 December agreement reached with ASUU.

“Why I said that the 2020 December agreement we had with ASUU is on course in terms of implementation, is that in that agreement, there is a line that says the federal government should pay ₦40 billion for earned academic allowances (EAA) for ASUU and other unions. That has been paid,” he said. 

“₦30 billion was also budgeted or was to be paid for revitalisation. That also was paid late last year.

“₦22.127 billion was agreed also in that December agreement, to be paid from the supplementary budget as earned allowances for 2021. That money was also paid last year; it was put in the supplementary budget which was passed around June-July and the money was remitted. So, the government has done that.”

He said the controversy surrounding the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) payment platform as preferred by university lecturers, instead of the government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), is being considered.

Ngige said arrangements have been concluded for the technical teams of NITDA and ASUU to meet and jointly conduct tests on the UTAS platform so as to find a solution to the impasse.

But, no be today FG start to dey post ASUU shaa.