ASUU and Government Hide New Agreement from Media
12 December 2013 By Abiodun Giwa
Wike
Reports emanating from Nigeria say that ASUU and the Federal Government have signed a new agreement to enable schools reopen.
But both ASUU and government have kept the media from knowing the content of their agreement, the Punch newspaper has reported. Though the media was present at the meeting, where the agreement was reached and signed, [art of the content of its revealed some of the agreement reached by government and ASUU.
The Sun newspaper reports that ASUU has not called off its strike and that the body is still waiting for a discussion of the agreement with its executive next week, despite captioning its report, "ASUU Calls Off its Five Months Strike," However, the paper revealed part of the agreement as containing non-victimization and clause and payment of lecturers' salaries for the period they were on strike.
"Let me say clearly, it is one of the happiest days of my life since I became minister of education," the education minister reportedly said. He said further there was no victor, no vanquished and that the federal government had merely lived to its responsibility for the schools to reopen. He said he expected the schools to reopen, while other parts of the agreement are fine tuned.
The meeting, brokered by the Nigeria Labor Congress, NLC, witnessed ASUU's demand for verification of the government's deposit of N200b for the facelift of Nigerian public universities and the non-victimization clause. ASUU also demanded that the attorney general should be government signatory to the agreement, but that the government reneged. Instead a permanent secretary in the education ministry, John Nwaobia, signed along with the ASUU's president, Dr. Nasir Faggae.
The public will be relieved that students from affected institution will return to school, and start learning again than wasting away in the house. On the other hand, contrary to the education minister's view that this is a case of no victor, no vanquished, the agreement with ASUU and the return of students to the classroom as a political triumph for the federal government. This is reflected in the minister's statement that the breakthrough portrays the government as responsive to the yearning of the people.
People are saying that with the government and ASUU's impasse out of the way, the government will be able to direct attention to some other pressing needs of the country like the need for the president to address the Stella Oduah's and Allison Madueke continuing as ministers against public demand for their removal investigation of what they may or not have done with public funds.
Observers see the only way President Goodluck Jonathan can survive Olusegun Obasanjo's onslaught and hidden political agenda is to be responsive to public demand.
But both ASUU and government have kept the media from knowing the content of their agreement, the Punch newspaper has reported. Though the media was present at the meeting, where the agreement was reached and signed, [art of the content of its revealed some of the agreement reached by government and ASUU.
The Sun newspaper reports that ASUU has not called off its strike and that the body is still waiting for a discussion of the agreement with its executive next week, despite captioning its report, "ASUU Calls Off its Five Months Strike," However, the paper revealed part of the agreement as containing non-victimization and clause and payment of lecturers' salaries for the period they were on strike.
"Let me say clearly, it is one of the happiest days of my life since I became minister of education," the education minister reportedly said. He said further there was no victor, no vanquished and that the federal government had merely lived to its responsibility for the schools to reopen. He said he expected the schools to reopen, while other parts of the agreement are fine tuned.
The meeting, brokered by the Nigeria Labor Congress, NLC, witnessed ASUU's demand for verification of the government's deposit of N200b for the facelift of Nigerian public universities and the non-victimization clause. ASUU also demanded that the attorney general should be government signatory to the agreement, but that the government reneged. Instead a permanent secretary in the education ministry, John Nwaobia, signed along with the ASUU's president, Dr. Nasir Faggae.
The public will be relieved that students from affected institution will return to school, and start learning again than wasting away in the house. On the other hand, contrary to the education minister's view that this is a case of no victor, no vanquished, the agreement with ASUU and the return of students to the classroom as a political triumph for the federal government. This is reflected in the minister's statement that the breakthrough portrays the government as responsive to the yearning of the people.
People are saying that with the government and ASUU's impasse out of the way, the government will be able to direct attention to some other pressing needs of the country like the need for the president to address the Stella Oduah's and Allison Madueke continuing as ministers against public demand for their removal investigation of what they may or not have done with public funds.
Observers see the only way President Goodluck Jonathan can survive Olusegun Obasanjo's onslaught and hidden political agenda is to be responsive to public demand.
