The Federal Government has agreed to pay an additional N15 billion as revitalisation fund demanded by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, disclosed this on Friday at a press briefing in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
He noted that the money to be paid would make it a total of N35 billion committed as revitalisation fund by the government following the payment of N20 billion earlier.
Ngige briefed reporters at the end of a meeting with members of the union led by the ASUU President, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi.
He described the meeting as a fruitful one, noting that the government has decided to shift grounds on the lingering issues.
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The minister revealed that the government and ASUU have also reached an agreement on how to pay the withheld salaries of the lecturers.
The minister gave an update on the visitation panel to the universities, noting that the panel would be inaugurated next week.
He also spoke about the payment system, as the union had rejected the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) of the government.
Ngige noted that representatives of the government and ASUU met over the University Transparency Account System (UTAS) proposed by the union, but it was still work in progress.
He stated that the Ministry of Labour and Employment, as well as the Ministry of Education, would use the previous payment platform of the government before it introduced IPPIS to pay the withheld salaries of the lecturers under strict monitoring.
The ASUU president, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, who also addressed reporters, acknowledged that the government has made some new offers to the union and progress has been made.
He, however, said the union leaders would report to their organs and get back to the government on the position of their members.
