The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, stated this when he appeared on Channels TV programme; Politics Today on Wednesday.

According to him, the President has done all within his powers to meet the offer of the university’s union.

The Minister, however absolved that Nigerians have no reason to be disappointed with the government on the issue.

He said, “If Nigerians are disappointed, I think they don’t have very good reason to be disappointed with the government on this issue.

“Why should they be disappointed? Just tell me why it is the fault of the government and not that of the union. You can only blame the government if it refuses to satisfy their demands.”

Adamu, in the interview, further outlined the Federal Government’s efforts to resolve the industrial action saying that the government has proposed a one-time package for the striking lecturers, explaining that it won’t be paid in instalments, unlike previous agreements.

He said, “The agreement we reached or the position of the government that I offered is something government can pay if they say they will agree.

“There is an increase in salary for university staff, 23.5% for all categories of the workforce in Federal Universities and 35% for professors. The same applies to Polytechnics and Colleges of education. There is another 150 billion for rehabilitation and for earned allowances.

“There is also the issue of platform to be used for payment of salaries, the president is now waiting for the report of the technical committee set up to look into the three platforms. From what I have seen, the U3PS is probably the best followed by UTAS and then IPPIS. The acceptance of the IPPIS depends on the report given to the president.”

The education minister further noted that the new salary review will be included in the 2023 budget while adding that the strike action triggered the review.

He said, “The new salary will be in the 2023 budget. It has been captured which means it won’t be paid immediately.

“There is currently a backlog of payments being done with the IPPISS platform. The new platform to be adopted might be a combination of the three platforms under review.

“The new increment is based on the government decision to increase salary. The best idea for any salary increment is inflation and for a very long time, there has not been any review.

“The crisis now probably triggered the government to start with the university people and probably when the economy improves, it will be done across all sectors.”

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu disclosed this on Tuesday while outlining the Government’s efforts to resolve the lingering strike embarked upon by ASUU.

The Minister, who spoke at a press conference in Abuja, said the government had also promised that a sum of N150 billion “shall be provided for in the 2023 Budget as funds for the revitalization of Federal Universities, to be disbursed to the Institutions in the First Quarter of the year.”

Also, the government pledged a sum of N50 billion that would be provided “for in the 2023 Budget for the payment of outstanding areas of earned academic allowances, to be paid in the First Quarter of the year.”

However, ASUU and three other university unions who had been on strike, rejected the offer, Minister Adamu said, describing it “as inadequate to meet their respective demands needed to tackle the challenges confronting the university system.”

According to an ASUU source, the union is seeking over a 100 percent increase in salaries.

While other unions – NASU, SSANU and NAAT – have subsequently suspended their industrial action after further negotiations with the government, ASUU has instead extended its strike indefinitely.

“We have done the best that we can in the circumstance,” the Minister said.

ASUU had on Monday, extended its industrial action embarked upon on February 14 by another four weeks as the Federal Government is yet to meet the demands.

NANS President, Sunday Asefon, in a statement, on Wednesday, asked President, Muhammadu Buhari, to sack Adamu over what they described as gross incompetence.

The NANS president alleged that the Minister lacks compassion and empathy for Nigerian students, stressing that ASUU had gone on strike for at least 18 months since he assumed office.

The statement reads, “This development calls to question his qualification to be appointed as minister of education in the first place. His total lack of compassion and

empathy for Nigerian students, stressing that ASUU had gone on strike for at least 18 months since he assumed office.

The statement reads, “This development calls to question his qualification to be appointed as minister of education in the first place. His total lack of compassion and empathy for the plight of Nigerian students speak volumes.

“Since he became minister ASUU has gone on strike for almost 18 months cumulatively and the entire educational structure of our tertiary education system is in total shamble under his watch”.

This is as the Union failed to suspend the ongoing strike action, which has led to a shutdown of academic activities in public universities across the country.

The strike has now entered its day 167 today (Monday) and the Union has vowed not to suspend its strike if all its demands remained unmet.

The PUNCH reported that sources within the NEC confirmed this in a meeting, which ended in the early hours of Monday morning (August 1, 2022).

“We reviewed the progress made so far, and to be honest, no progress was made. We have not heard from the minister at all. Nobody has reached out to us. I can confirm that calling off the strike is not even a matter of discussion,” a source within the NEC who did not want to be named noted this on Monday morning.

But the spokesperson of the ministry of education, Ben Goong, explained that the minister of education, Adamu Adamu, was working round the clock to ensure that the strike is called off.

“We can not speak on what we are doing before we make our submissions to the president. The minister is working round the clock to ensure that he carries out the directive of the president. When we get to the point of calling ASUU, we will,” Goong said.

President Muhammadu Buhari gave the directive on Tuesday after he received briefings from the relevant government Ministries, Agencies and Departments involved in resolving the face-off with the university unions.

This directive comes after 166 days that the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, had proceeded on one month warning strike on February 14, and other unions also withdrew their services after that as a result of the alleged inability of the federal government to meet up with their demands.

The three other unions that embarked on strike are the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions, NASU and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT.

President Buhari summoned the Tuesday meeting to receive briefing from the government team on while the strike has lingered for too long.

The President after hearing from the relevant MDA’s directly involved ordered the Minister of Education to ensure that the impasse was resolved within two weeks and report back to him.

Sources at the meeting also said that President Buhari directed that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige must be in any of the meetings to resolve the crisis.

The sources further said that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Mr. Boss Mustapha should be part of the team to interface with the striking unions.