The Nasarawa State Government has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), to suspend its ongoing strike, assuring lecturers of its commitment to paying outstanding earned allowances.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr Labaran Magaji, made the appeal on Tuesday in Lafia when he received the leadership of the NSUK Alumni Association, led by its National President, Mr Nuhu Egya.
Magaji, who served for six years on the NSUK Governing Council, urged ASUU to trust the sincerity of Gov. Abdullahi Sule’s administration and return to the classrooms.
He said the administration had demonstrated its commitment to workers’ welfare through interventions, including the payment of gratuity arrears up to 2013, implementation of the new minimum wage and payment of 50 per cent of the 13th-month salary.
The SSG said the state government had earlier reached an understanding with the university community that lecturers would suspend the strike after the government made an agreed payment.
He, however, expressed concern that the lecturers, after confirming receipt of the payment, subsequently presented another demand.
“The Governor is a man of honour; he is a sincere and principled man who keeps to his word. What is happening now has a semblance of betrayal,” he said.
Magaji commended the alumni association for intervening in the dispute and promised to convey its position to the governor. He also urged ASUU to continue engaging with the government in good faith to protect the interests of students and the future of the institution.
Earlier, Egya said the alumni association visited the SSG to appeal to the government to make a firm commitment to pay the outstanding months of earned allowances in tranches.
He said the prolonged strike had affected students’ accommodation, new admissions and preparations for the planned National Universities Commission (NUC) accreditation of the Faculty of Medical Sciences.
“We cannot afford to miss such a faculty. This is a faculty that the university has been fighting for over 20 years, and we are about to lose this golden opportunity,” Egya said.
He added that ASUU had indicated its readiness to suspend the strike if the government provided a written commitment to settle the outstanding arrears.
“The union has agreed that if there is a written commitment by the government to pay the remaining arrears, they are ready to call off this strike based on our intervention,” he said.
The ASUU NSUK chapter embarked on an indefinite strike on Aug. 10 over unpaid arrears, including Earned Academic Allowance.
