The Federal Government on Thursday agreed to release N30 billion earned academic allowance to university lecturers.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr, Chris Ngige, who disclosed this to journalists at the end of a closed-door meeting between the federal government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in Abuja, said the money would be paid in tranches between May 2021 and February 2022.
The government team was led by Ngige, while the ASUU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, led the union delegation to the meeting.
The Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo, and other government officials also attended the meeting.
At the meeting the government also promised to spend N20 billion on the revitalisation of the education sector in a bid to end the seven-month strike by ASUU.
Ngige had earlier told journalists that students were being recruited into the #ENDSARS protests due to closure of universities by ASUU.
He expressed the hope that union would call off the strike soon.
The minister said: “For the past one week, we have all been on our toes. We have been meeting and we pray that this meeting will yield some good fruits.
“We don’t take very great pleasure in the fact that the children who are supposed to be in school are being recruited into the #EndSARS, #EndStrike, #EndSWAT and all kinds of situations.
“As much as possible, we will try to see how we can meet ourselves halfway and resolve this crisis to the benefits of all and the country at large.”
The ASUU president commended the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, Ngige, and Accountant-General of the Federation, Idris Ahmed, among others, for facilitating the discussion.
He urged everyone to look at the issues affecting the university system as a national emergency in the country.
