JUST IN ! Details of Meeting between ASUU and Federal Government Emerge

Details of the meeting between representatives of the Federal Government and the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) have emerged.

Professor Ibrahim Gambari, Chief of Staff to the President, chaired the tripartite mee

ting held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday.

Speaking on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari at the end of the meeting, Prof Gamabri directed the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), to subject the Integrated Payroll Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and two proposed payment solutions by the University lecturers to an integrity test

The two proposed payment solutions include the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS), and the University Peculiar Personnel and Payroll System (U3PS).

ASUU proposed UTAS to the government, while SSANU and NASU proposed U3PS in order to address the allegations that they were being shortchanged in the payment of their salaries.

A source at the meeting told Vanguard that the meeting was attended by the leadership of the university-based unions, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige and other relevant stakeholders.

The source said the president’s directive was to ensure that the Consequential Adjustment/ minimum wage arrears are paid to the striking university workers this week in order to persuade them to call off the ongoing strike.

He added that the President’s Chief of Staff gave NITDA three weeks to carry out the integrity test and return with the results.

The source added that Gambari during the meeting pleaded with the university unions to go back to work while discussions continue to address all their concerns.

It was learned that the workers were adamant insisting that the strike would only be called off when the federal government honours all the agreements reached.

The source added that the Minister of Labour and Employment Senator Chris Ngige was mounting pressure on the relevant government agencies to ensure that some of the contentious issues are addressed as soon as possible