Union of Universities (ASUU) wants N1.5 trillion to end its ongoing
strike.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Senator
Uche Chukwumerije, released the figure in his contribution on a
motion urging the striking lecturers to call off their strike.
The motion sponsored by the Senate Leader, Senator Victor
Ndoma-Egba, and 106 others is entitled: "Appeal to Academic
Staff Union of Universities to call off the strike action and return
to work."
Chukwumerije, who read the controversial 2009 agreement
between the Federal Government and ASUU, said that part of
the component of the agreement on funding stipulated that "all
regular federal universities shall require the sum of N1.5 trillion
for the period 2009 to 2011.
He said that ASUU is insisting that the agreement must be
implemented to the latter.
He said the agreement also said that "This money is to be paid in
three installments, 2009 – almost N500 billion; 2010 – almost
N500 billion and 2011 – almost N506 billion.
Apart from the N1.5 trillion the agreement also stipulated that
"each state university shall require N3.6 million" while "a minimum
of 26 per cent of the annual budget should be allocated to
education."
According to him, the agreement also said that "education should
be put on First Line Charge" while the Education Tax Act should
be amended to its original concept as High Education Fund."
He noted that the agreement said that "Governing Council of
Universities should access and effectively utilize from Education
Tax Fund funds for research, training and development of
academic staff."
Other components of the agreement included Salary Structure of
Academic Staff of Nigerian universities and earned academic
staff allowances.
The earned academic staff allowances include: "Post graduate
supervision allowances; teaching practice and industrial
allowances; honorarium for external moderation of undergraduate
and postgraduate examination system, postgraduate study
grants; external assessment of readers or professors, call duty
and clinical duty and hazard allowance and excess workload
allowance."
