The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, on Monday, has denied there was no form of blackmailing by the federal government as claimed by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the agreement signed.
Nwajiuba, recently revealed the federal government has agreed to meet their demands in bit as resources available are not enough to meet their demands.
Some of the demands are the payment of earned allowances, payment of revitalisation funds to universities, creation of visitation panels, and implementation of the University Transparency Accountability Solution
He said, “We cannot possibly be blackmailing them; we tried to explain to them that we will fulfill the agreements when we have the resources. Agreements have been signed and they are meant to be fulfilled.
“But we do not have all the resources to meet all the demands at once. The thing is that we all are working together – ASUU and the Federal Government. The goal is to produce graduates, who will serve Nigeria, and to make sure that the academic calendar is running smoothly.
“So, the government will always pay its dues; you do not have to go on strike to drive home your points. They need to know that it is not the government versus ASUU. It is about doing what is right. Let us use the resources as they come. There are lots of sectors that need attention.
“All we are saying is that once there are resources, we will meet your needs; all you have to do is to keep the academic calendar running. So, please, where is the blackmail?”
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