NANS wants urgent intervention of Buhari in ASUU strike

The National Association of Nigerian Students has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the lingering strike by Academic Staff Union of University to enable students to return to school.

The newly-elected President of NANS, Usman Barambu, made the call at a news conference on Monday in Abuja.

Barambu described as worrisome the lingering dispute between ASUU and the Federal Government, which had lasted for about seven months.

He noted that the incessant strikes had affected the academic calendar of public universities. He said: “Also, it has negatively impacted on the future of Nigerian students as a program of four years now would last for six years.”

Similarly, the Chairman, Communiqué Drafting Committee, Usman Ayuba, urged Buhari to bring on board capable hands with experience and capacity to stem the tide of insecurity in the country. Ayuba also appealed to the government to proffer workable solutions to address incessant clashes between farmers and herders across the country.

He called on the Ministry of Education to give priority attention to the sector in terms of budgetary allocation to meet the UNESCO standard and recommendation of setting aside 26 per cent of annual budget to education by developing countries.

The students also wanted lecturers involved in the business of Sex for Marks to desist from such nefarious activities, stressing that students would expose anyone found culpable.…

NANS president to students: Expect good news soon

The President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Sunday Asefon, has told students to expect good news soon.

Asefon spoke on a day the Federal Governor through the Minister of Labor, Chris Ngige, also gave the same hope.

Ngige spoke against the backdrop of progress in the negotiation with the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

Asefon, writing on Facebook on Wednesday, said: “Good news soon Nigerian students!!!” Ngige also on Wednesday said the Federal Government has been meeting with the ASUU over its lingering strike and assured Nigerians that the dispute with the lecturers will be resolved soon.

Ngige, who spoke after the Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House in Abuja, said the next meeting with ASUU is scheduled for Thursday.

He said: “As the issue is bordered on money, remunerations, welfare, we did another conciliation meeting inviting the Ministry of Finance, Budget Office of the Federation, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission and again, with their employers on the 1st of March.

“After that, it became clear that two cardinal things were still keen: the issue of renegotiation of their welfare package as in the 2009 agreement; that agreement says you can review every five years, so, that issue stuck out like a sore thumb.

“Then another issue arose in that agreement – the payment platform of university transparency, accountability solution, which they say they’ve invented.

“They said they don’t want to be on IPPIS; that IPPIS was amputating their salaries and taking off certain allowances, and so, that it is not capturing their peculiarities.

“So, we now have to ask them to go back to these places, form committees with them.

“Education took them on the issue of 2009 agreement, which is renegotiation of their conditions of service, emolument, their remuneration allowances.

“Therefore, salaries, income and wages, and Ministry of Finance that produce the money are involved.

“So, they went back.”

The former governor also dismissed talks that the Federal Government has a different payment table for trade unions in tertiary institutions.

Ngige noted that …