The ASUU strike 2013 continues, but the latest update is that President Goodluck Jonathan agreed to inject N1.1 trillion ($6.9 billion) into public universities as part of the deal he negotiated in a meeting with union leaders earlier this week.
Details of the meeting have so far been few, with ASUU President Dr. Nasir Isa Faggae telling reporters that union members will be presented by the new offer by the government.
Now a “reliable source” tells The Punch that a key component of the deal was the government promising to inject N1.1 trillion into public universities over five years. That amounts to N220 billion every year, beginning in 2014. An additional N100 billion would be for 2013.
One Nigerian Naira equals one cent in U.S. dollars.
The source said the strike will be called off sometime next week, adding that both parties “showed commitment towards ending the crisis.”
“The President in particular showed that he was serious about ending the strike and that was why he offered to release over N1.1 trillion to the universities in the next five years,” the source said.
The money would be released every quarter, processed through the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the National Universities Commission and the Trade Union Congress would be the joint guarantors of the agreement, with the minister of education as the implementation officer.
When President Jonathan purportedly said that he would re-open the universities regardless of whether a deal was reached, it seemed to propel negotiations forward. The strike started in July after the teachers union said the government wasn’t abiding by a contract reached in 2009, and one of the points was that the government wasn’t adequately investing in the universities, including infrastructure costs.
The union had been demanding N1.5 trillion for the years 2009 through 2011 but it appears the new deal would focus on future investment as opposed to back pay.
Other details of the deal, which at one point senators said included union demand for range of benefits such as maternity leave, housing loans, and field trip allowances, were not disclosed by the source.
An ASUU team led by the union’s president met on Tuesday night to further deliberate on the deal, and are believed to be contemplating calling a National Executive Council meeting on or before Saturday. At the meeting, the new deal would be presented to all branch executives.
President Jonathan’s office took over negotiations on September 19 with Vice President Namadi Sambo in charge.
ASUU President Dr. Nasir Isa Faggae said on Tuesday morning after the marathon 13-hour meeting that the agreement would be presented to the union members.
“We are expecting that our members will respond appropriately to the message of Mr. President,” he said.
On whether the lecturers are going back to the classroom, he said: “That is up to our members.”
Asked what the message was, he said: “I can’t tell you. Its not for you. It is for our members.”
Emeka Wogu, the minister of labor, told reporters that “we made progress.”
“The president of ASUU told you that they are going back with a message from the federal government back to their members,” he added. “And the message is a message full of high expectations and hope.”
The strike may be called off at any time, Wogu said.
At the beginning of the meeting, President Jonathan said: “I hope this strike will end today. Our children have suffered enough. We must find a solution.”
He was answered by those in attendance, including Vice President Sambo and Faggae, by “amen.”
