*Plans to call off strike if government signs fresh agreement Tuesday

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has stated that the federal government has agreed to adopt the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) as the payment platform for lecturers.

Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, ASUU President, made the disclosure on Monday during an interview with Channels Television.

ASUU has been on strike since February 14 over government’s failure to implement its demands on salaries and allowances of lecturers, improved funding for universities, as well as the adoption of UTAS against the federal government’s preferred payment platform — Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

As at Tuesday, the strike embarked by ASUU has entered 183 days – a development that has led to frustration for students, parents and other stakeholders.

Speaking on Monday, the ASUU President said the Federal Government invited the union for a meeting on Tuesday on the issue of renegotiation.

Osodeke said ASUU will suspend the strike, if the government agrees to its demands at the meeting on Tuesday.

“We have not had any serious communication though they have invited us for a meeting on one issue, tomorrow (Tuesday), which is the issue of renegotiation,” he said.

According to him, “there are seven issues why we are on strike. They are inviting us for discussion on issue of renegotiation, tomorrow, which is renegotiation of the 2009 agreement.

“The issues of IPPIS and UTAS has been put to rest because the test has been done and it has been agreed with the Chief of Staff; UTAS will be implemented to cover the university.

“Two, if this government is serious, this strike will not last more than two weeks. If you recall we were supposed to have gone on strike in November, last year, but we didn’t start because NIREC came in and intervened. We conceded to them.

‘’They met with the President, he set up a committee headed by the Chief of Staff that should resolve this quickly, the world saw it in the press; they did nothing. 

“The President again set up the Munzali Committee, we met them , nothing, they didn’t come back.

“They set up the Nimi Briggs Committee, it’s now more than three months, two months we finished negotiating with them, they didn’t come back. 

“The President directed the Ministry of Education to finish within two weeks, two weeks has passed, they didn’t come back.

“If we go into that meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) and government say what we have negotiated, we are willing to sign, the strike will be called off,” Osodeke stressed.