The Federal Government has said it will begin the process of paying members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities their outstanding funds today.
The Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity, Senator Chris Ngige, who said he had yet to be officially put on notice by ASUU, said the government would not allow the union to embark on the strike threatened by the university lecturers on Monday.
Ngige made this known on Tuesday while appearing on Politics Today, a current affairs programme on Channels Television
He said, “The strike will not happen. For one, I know that the fund to pay with is there and the Ministry of Education has assured me that by Wednesday they would emanate letters to make sure that the disbursement reaches the accounts of the various universities. We are not paying the unions directly, it will get to the universities’ accounts. I will have a meeting with the Minister of State for Education who is the one in charge of the affairs now because the main minister (Adamu Adamu) is overseas on health grounds. I will evaluate the situation with him and we would make sure that the disbursement goes on.”
ASUU has given the Federal Government a 21-day ultimatum over the failure of the government to implement the agreement reached with it.