RSITIE VE S C NI O U M NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES COMMISSION L M A I S N S O I I O T N A N T H C E OU VI GHT AND SER www.nuc.edu.ng MONDAA PUBLICATION OF THE OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY BulletinY th 0795-3089 18 February, 2019 Vol. 14 No. 07 Life Returns to Campuses as ASUU Suspends Strike t was a huge sigh of relief for negotiation between the union register for the new academic students in the nation’s and government. calendar in most institutions. Ip u b l i c u n i v e r s i t i e s ’ campuses as Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) announced the suspension of its three months industrial action penultimate Thursday ago. This followed a two and half hour meeting and subsequent signing of document between the Federal Government delegation, led by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige and his Education counterpart, Malam Adamu Adamu and ASUU in Abuja. The strike was suspended after the 10th marathon meeting b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t delegation and ASUU leaders Dr. Chris Ngige which precipitated a nal Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment/Leader of Government Negotiation Team agreement on a new timelines based on the earlier 2017 Meanwhile, following the strike On its part, the union said it earlier Memorandum of Action, now action, students had been whiling embarked on the indenite strike, regarded as MoA 2019. The away at home for nearly four following non-fullment of 2009 MoA was signed by both parties months causing a disruption to FGN/ASUU Agreement, on 4th which eventually sealed the long their academic programmes and November, even inability of new intakes to in this edition NUC to Partner NESG on Professor Taura Emerges New VC Review of Education Blueprint Pg. 5 Sule Lamido University Pg. 7 EDITORIAL BOARD: Ibrahim Usman Yakasai (Chairman), Mal. Haruna Lawal Ajo (Editor), Ogbonnaya Okoronkwo (News Editor), Mrs. Franca Chukwuonwo, Miss Bunshak T.S, Francis Azu, Udey Felix, Aja-Nwachukwu Samuel, Sadiq Abubakar Enquiries: [email protected] 18th February, 2019 Vol. 14 No. 06 2018, and subsequent MoUs, this phase of struggle, it is our 4. S t r e n g t h e n i n g t h e insisting that all those years hope and desire that the Nigerian Consultative Committee of state- g o v e r n m e n t h a v e n o t governments (federal and state) owned Universities (CCSOU) d e m o n s t r a t e d e n o u g h will play the roles expected of inaugurated on Monday, 28th commitment to meet their them in order to make the new January, 2019 to look into the demands. memorandum work.” i s s u e s o f p r o l i f e r a t i o n , underfunding and governance to Professor Ogunyemi explained consistently deliver on its mandate. the MoA contained in the 5. Payment of outstanding document and reached by the Earned Academic Allowances, parties to include: arrears of all eligible staff of the 1. In addition to N20 billion University of Ilorin, especially for 2018, the sum of N25 billion would be released in April/May, 2019, after which government w o u l d r e s u m e f u l l implementation of the MoU of 2013. 2. Part-payment of the outstanding arrears of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA); defraying the balance up to 2018 Malam Adamu Adamu Hon. Minister of Education in four tranches within 36 months; and mainstreaming further payments of EAA into the Addressing newsmen after annual budgets, beginning from signing the Memorandum of 2019 budget. Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi Action (MoA), the Minister of 3. Presidential Initiative on ASUU President Labour and his Education Continuous Audit (PICA) counterpart jointly expressed verication and the release of the loyal ASUU members whose that “This is going to be a arrears of salary shortfalls at appointments were illegally conclusive and reconciliatory terminated by 7th February, 2019. meeting between Federal 6. Acknowledgement and Government and ASUU. They appreciation of government for both noted that the FGN and facilitating the release of the nal ASUU have unanimously letter of approval for the granting of resolved the eight contentious license to NUPEMCO. issues that prolonged the strike. 7. Visitation to all Federal Universities would commence The ASUU President, Professor tentatively by 11th March, 2019. Biodun Ogunyemi concurred 8. Provision of documented with the Minister on the issues in guidelines on procedures and roles dispute, stating that the of parties in the process of suspension of the strike was n e g o t i a t i n g F G N - A S U U approved at the National Agreement of 2009 which would Executive Council (NEC) commence not later than 18th meeting of the union after Prof. Abubakar A. Rasheed February, 2019 and end by Friday, considering offers by the federal ES, NUC 29th March, 2019. government. F e d e r a l U n i v e r s i t y o f Agriculture, Makurdi (UAM), While highlighting the stand of the He said “while we put a close to not later than 15th February, union on the reached agreement, 2019. Page 2 MONDAY BULLETIN A Publication of The Office of The Executive Secretary 11th February, 2019 Vol. 14 No. 06 Professor Ogunyemi noted that Friday, 8th February, 2019. Memorandum of Action. ASUU, the union’s National Executive according to him, shall resume its Committee (NEC) had resolved He, however, warned that suspended strike as the union that the current strike be government must not renege on deems necessary, if the spirit and suspended conditionally with its part of the agreement as the letter of the agreement were not effect from 12:01 a.m. on r e e c t e d i n t h e 2 0 1 9 adhered to subsequently. NUC to Partner NESG on Review of Education Blueprint The Nigeria Economic Summit market upon graduation. channeled to areas of needs, Group (NESG) penultimate week leaving the universities in a state of ago visited the Executive T h e E x e c u t i v e S e c r e t a r y infrastructural decit, inadequate Secretary, National Universities bemoaned the infrastructural man-power training and learning Commission (NUC), Professor decay in the universities which resources. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, mni, had widened the gap between the MFR, FNAL, in his ofce, for universities and the industrial Prof. Rasheed stressed that the collaboration in the area of the review of the NUC blueprint on the rapid revitalization of university education in Nigeria. Addressing the delegation, the NUC Scribe said that Nigerian Universities must be revitalized to unleash it potentials as a catalyst for socioeconomic development in Nigeria.He l a u d e d t h e e n v i s a g e d collaboration with the NESG, describing it as the rst of its kind in the several attempt to reform university education in the country. According to him, “there is a missing link between the ES, NUC, Prof. Abubakar A. Rasheed displaying a document and assisted by university system and the the Head, Policy Intellignece, NESG, Mr. Seun Ojo industrial sector and this has over sector, noting that the NUS was NUS was capable of driving the time affected the type of not in shortage of interventions, proposed strategic goals of graduates we produce from our as they have continued to receive revitalization, which, he noted, universities as most of them are funding in terms of grants and covered specialised areas like not employable”. special interventions from Agriculture, Entrepreneurship and Tertiary Education Trust Fund skill development, Engineering, He expressed hope that the (TETFund), Central Bank of Information Technology, amongst collaboration would bridge the N i g e r i a ( C B N ) , P r i v a t e others. NUC, he said, would gap by unravelling the skill- individuals and Philanthropists, forward the recommendation to the needs of the industrial sector the World Bank, as well as government, while on its part t h e r e b y, e m p o w e r i n g t h e Budgetary Allocation from the provide the necessary guidance and Universities to adequately train federal government. He however, monitoring to ensure that the their students to t into the labour noted that such interventions w e r e o f t e n n o t p r o p e r l y Page 3 MONDAY BULLETIN A Publication of The Office of The Executive Secretary 11th February, 2019 Vol. 14 No. 06 recommendations are well Universities has risen from zero two parties synergise, identify implemented. in the last twenty years to 75 and challenges that had over the years still counting. led to graduate unemployment. According to him, the Student He hinted that plans were on Mr. Seun noted that the group was Industrial Work Experience ground to also provide “safety already collaborating with National Scheme (SIWES) programme nets” in form of loan or grants for Institute for Policy and Strategic had outlived its usefulness as students who may secure Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, to seek R-L: Prof. Rasheed, Mr. Ojo and Tope Toogun most students hardly nd admission into these Private ways of advancing education in p l a c e m e n t d u e t o o v e r Universities whose parents could Nigeria.