ASUU Strike 2013 To Be Called Off: President Jonathan Approves N400Billion To End Strike

August 20, 2013 - ASUU Strike 2013 To Be
Called Off: President Jonathan Approves
N400Billion To End Strike
The latest news update on ASUU strike in
Nigeria as of today August 20, 2013 is that
President Jonathan has approved a total sum of
400 billion naira for the infrastructural
development of Nigerian universities.
The end of this long ASUU strike is very near as
the document was made available yesterday at
the meeting of the presidential committee on
implementation of the NEEDS assessment in the
universities with the leaders of the four university-
based unions – the Senior Staff Association of
Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic
Staff Union of Educational and Associated
Institutions (NASU), the National Association of
Academic Technologists (NAAT) and the Academic
Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The President of SSANU, Samson Ugwoke, made
the revelation while addressing his union
members at the SSANU National Executive
Committee (NEC) meeting held at the weekend at
the University of Abuja.
Ugwoke, briefing the SSANU members on the
activities of the NEEDS assesment implementation
committee, led by Benue State Governor, Gabriel
Suswam. He noted that the fund was different
from the N100 billion Governor Suswam had
raised from donor agencies and big companies to
tackle the problems of Nigerian universities in
2013.
The labour leader said: “Let me give you a tip on
what the NEEDS assessment committee is doing.
The president has approved that within the next
four years; N400 billion would be expended in
infrastructural development of Nigerian
universities, to transform the universities to
international standard.
“N100 billion has already been raised by Suswam
committee out of which 61 universities have been
pencilled down, as contained in the NEEDS
assessement committee. The N100 billion is
expected to address needs of the universities in
the areas which include re-furbishing and
renovation of lecture theatres and lecture halls,
re-furbishing and renovation of laboratories/
libraries and the renovation of hostels.
“The second category is building of new hostels of
international standard, self-contained rooms, the
latest model in the world. That is the standard to
be built in every university, and also the state-of-
the-art laboratories as well as classrooms, lecture
theatres and the halls.”
Ugwoke pointed out that the money had been
shared and out of the N100 billion, N96 billion had
been sent to universities.
He added: “The committee is meeting again on
Monday, and by Monday (today), the document
will be out. This time around, it is not only by
giving university money, but it will be monitored
to ensure that the money is used to transform the
universities, to bail universities out of the present
situation and developed to an international
recognized university standard.”