The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, has said that the lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has contributed to fuelling the ongoing End SARS protest, with several undergraduates joining the match.
The Minister, who was speaking at the opening of a meeting between the Federal Government and ASUU, debunked media reports that the government never planned to replace the IPPIS with the so-called University Transparency and Accountability System, UTAS.
Ngige, who said the UTAS, if eventually accepted by the government, will only be applicable to university academic staff, is presiding over the reconciliatory meeting being attended by the Chairman Senate Committee on Tertiary Education and Tetfund, National Universities Commission, NUC, the Accountant General’s office and Ministry of Education officials.
He revealed that the government approved the UTAS to undergo three credibility tests, with the first one completed on wednesday, October 14, 2020.
On his part, the ASUU President, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, said that university lecturers are willing to return to classes, but are held back because the Nigerian government has failed to address what he describes as ‘National Emergency’ in the education sector.
ASUU has been on strike since March, shortly before schools were shut down over the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.
