Ahead of the reopening of universities and others, the Federal Government has listed six conditions to be met by each school, to protect students against coronavirus. According to the Minister of State for Education, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiub, the conditions are; All Institutions must have (1) Hand-washing facilities (2) Body temperature checks (3) Body disinfectants at all entering points to their major facilities including the gates, hostels, classes, offices, etc. (4) The whole premises of each institution must be decontaminated and (5) All efforts must be geared toward maintenance of the highest level of hygiene. (6) Ensure Social Physical Distancing in class sizes and meeting spaces. Share This News Stay Connected For New Updates.

The federal government says it will soon roll out guidelines for the reopening of schools across the country. Boss Mustapha, chairman of the presidential task force on COVID-19, disclosed this during a briefing in Abuja on Wednesday. “​Today, 27th May, 2020 is also Children’s Day worldwide and this brings to mind the need to build a legacy that would guarantee a safe and secure future for our children. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation was faced with the challenge of out of school children. This has now been compounded by the compelling need for closure of schools as part of the measures to limit the spread of the virus,” he said.​ The PTF has been deliberating on this situation and wish to inform Nigerians that the  Federal Ministry of Education  will roll out measures to be put in place for safe reopening of schools. The Hon. Minister of Education (State) will be elaborating on the subject, this afternoon. He will also clarify the purported announcement of th...

Following a tweet by a handle, @Official_ASUU, the Academic Staff Union of Universities has said it does not have an official Twitter handle and has no plans of going on strike anytime soon. The user had tweeted, “Thinking of going on another three months strike action..” which received a lot of backlash, as the Nigeria Twitter community perceived the handle as the official Twitter handle of the union. The union, which spoke through its President, Prof.Biodun Ogunyemi, in an interview with our correspondent on Monday, also said it denounces the handle and was set to take further action against those operating the account. Ogunyemi said, “First, ASUU does not have an official Twitter handle. Those who are operating that handle are fraudsters. So, we are issuing a statement today to denounce that handle, and that is to enable us to take further action against those operating that account. Arising from that, it means that nobody should take seriously anything posted from that account...

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, has, Tuesday, suspended the over two-months old strike it embarked upon since last year’s December 12 over the failure of the federal government to implement the agreements it reached with her in 2017.    The agreement was to implement the recommendations of the 2014 NEEDS assessment which recommended the increase of funding to the polytechnics. However, the ASUP President, Usman Dutse, announced suspension of the strike on Tuesday during a press briefing in Abuja. According to him, the union “resolved to suspend the industrial action on the conditions that government commits to a reviewed memorandum of Action to solidify the resolutions and ensure its full implementation, failing which the union shall resume the action at its discretion.”

Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Thursday suspended its nationwide strike after three months. ASUU National President, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, announced this at a press conference in Abuja, the nation’s capital. The union suspended the industrial action following its latest meeting with representatives of the Federal Government led by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Nigige. Read the full statement issued by the ASUU President below; ACADEMIC STAFF UNION OF UNIVERSITIES (ASUU), NATIONAL SECRETARIAT. TEXT OF A PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE ACADEMIC STAFF UNION OF UNIVERSITIES (ASUU), THURSDAY, 7TH FEBRUARY, 2019, AT NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS HEADQUARTERS, PASCAL BAFYAU HOUSE, ABUJA Protocol Friends and compatriots of the Press, On Sunday, 4th  November,  2018, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) resumed its strike action which was conditionally suspended on 14th  September,  2017. The action of 2017 was suspended...

leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its nationwide industrial action. National President of the union, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, announced this on Thursday during a press briefing at the Nigeria Labour Congress complex in Abuja. The striking lecturers took the decision after a meeting with representatives of the Federal Government led by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige. The meeting came hours before Professor Ogunyemi announced the decision of ASUU to suspend the strike. It had in attendance leaders of the union and government representatives such as the permanent secretaries at the ministries of Education, as well as Labour and Employment, and some directors from the ministries.

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, has asked the Nigerian government to provide receipt of shortfall of teachers’ salary and promotion arrears released. President of ASUP, Dr Usman Dutse, made the demand in a statement on Monday, noting that evidence of payment of funds by government will determine its next move to call off the strike. Recall that the Federal Government had on Saturday said it released N16.8 billion to settle outstanding salary arrears of staff in the country’s tertiary institutions. He insisted that the evidence must have to emanate from the Office of Accountant-General of the Federation and not necessarily to reflect on their bank salary accounts before the congress of the union would decide the next line of action as regards their ongoing strike. The statement read “We are still waiting for concrete evidence from the Federal Government showing the details of payment of the N16.4 billion shortfall of members’ salary and promotion arrears and...

The Academic State Union of Universities, ASUU, yesterday, received the certificate of operation for Nigerian University Pension Management Company, NUPEMCO, from National Pension Commission, the regulatory agency for the country’s pension companies. The refusal of the regulatory agency to approve the teachers’ union’s pension commission for operation was one of the major issues in the dispute between ASUU and the Federal Government. But President of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, in a short message sent across to members of the union, yesterday, said ASUU received the certificate at about 11:20 a.m.  The text message read in part:  “Dear Comrade, We collected the final letter of approval of NUPEMCO operational license at about 11.20a.m in PENCOM office. Profound appreciation goes to all who prepared the ground and made this possible.”   While congratulating all our members for this landmark achievement of the union, we also thank them for their patience. The struggle co...

In this interview National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, says lecturers are yet to reach a resolution with the Federal Government on their demands. There is speculation that the union threw out a deal reached with government in an attempt to end the strike by universities academic staff. Why? There was no agreement so we didn’t reject any deal reached with the government. What they gave us at the last meeting was a proposal of our demands. Proposals are not the same thing as agreement. They gave us a proposal and we said we will take the proposal back to our members. What we have been doing in the last one week was to consult with our members and we still convey the report of our consultation to the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Now they are saying we will meet on Monday (last) to discuss the positions. You discussed almost all your demands with government. What are the controversial aspects? The major issue...

The Federal Government says it has released N163 billion to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Sen. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, said this while addressing newsmen after a closed-door reconciliatory meeting with ASUU leadership on Monday in Abuja. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the striking lecturers had embarked on strike on Nov. 5, 2018, to press home their demands. ASUU demands included some areas of understanding in the implementation of the Memorandum of Action agreed to in 2017. Some of these areas include shortfall in salaries of some Federal Universities’ workers and lecturers, earned allowances, revitalisation that were part of the 2009 agreement, among others. According to Ngige, “today we have agreed to fund revitalisation. “Government has released about N163 billion from TETFund account to universities. “So, we have gotten some substantial agreement in mos...

 Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has appealed to striking lecturers in all higher institutions across the country to be patient with the Federal Government on the lingering strike action. Adamu said that efforts were ongoing to address their demands. The minister said that progress and development are usually scarce where there is no peace. “Peaceful coexistence is very important in our educational institutions because effective learning can only take place in a peaceful environment.” The Minister further commended management, staff and students of the Polytechnic “for sustaining a peaceful academic environment.” Also speaking, the Rector of the institution, Dr. Lateef Olatunji, pointed out that the 2017/2018 set produced 2,352 HND graduates including 796 full-time students and 1,767 part-time students in the OND category.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities on Thursday said the ongoing strike would not be called off until the Federal Government fully implemented all the offers it made to the union after their last meeting. The public university lecturers said they were tired of Federal Government’s antics of making unfulfilled promises, insisting that the strike would be called off after they got tangible evidence and concrete actions that the offers made to them by the Federal Government had been implemented. The National President, ASUU,  Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi,  in an exclusive interview with one of our correspondents in Lagos on Thursday, said the team of the union that met  with the government on Tuesday did not reach any agreement with the Federal Government. Asked when the strike would then be called off, Ogunyemi said, “Our members said they want to see evidence of satisfactory implementation of all they have proposed before the strike can be called off.” On Tuesday, A...

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, on Wednesday declared that it was yet to reach an agreement with the Federal Government over the lingering strike. President of ASUU, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, said the negotiations between both parties were still inconclusive. According to Ogunyemi, the team that represented the union at the meeting with representatives of government had no final say over calling off the strike action. Speaking with Tribune, Ogunyemi said: “It was just yesterday (Tuesday) that government sent the proposal to us without waiting for feedback before going to the public that we have reached an agreement. ASUU does not operate in that manner. “The ASUU team that met the Federal Government would have to consult our principal over the proposal which we are already doing. “So, ASUU cannot make a pronouncement on a mere proposal. Until our principal agrees, there is no agreement. And that is what we have always emphasised to government that we are going to ...

Government has finally reached an agreement with leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, disclosed this to reporters on Monday in Abuja shortly after a meeting with the striking lecturers. This signals hope of resumption for students of various universities under ASUU following a strike which has been ongoing for over two months. However, the union has yet to make a decision whether or not it is calling off the strike for academic activities to resume in the schools. Senator Ngige told reporters after the meeting that the government has met a majority of the demands by ASUU, including the release of N15.4 billion for payment of salary shortfalls. According to him, the government is also in the process of releasing another N20 billion naira for payment of earned allowances for university lecturers. The National President of ASUU, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, also confirmed to reporters that an agreement wa...

The Federal Government has reached an agreement with members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Addressing journalists on Monday evening after the meeting with the striking lecturers in Abuja, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said the majority of their demands have been met including the release of N15.4 billion for payment of salary shortfalls. According to him, the Federal Government is also in the process of releasing another N20 billion for payment of earned allowances for university lecturers. Meanwhile, the ASUU President, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, said the National Executive Committee of the union will review their decisions based on the new commitment by the government. According to him, it is only after that meeting of the ASUU leadership that the union will announce its position on the ongoing strike action. Its been over two months since the union went on strike following the alleged inability of the government to resp...

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced its readiness to participate in the 2019 general election. The agreement was reached at a meeting between the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and officials of the union in Abuja. At the end of the meeting, Biodun Ogunyemi. president of ASUU, said: “We had a good meeting with the INEC team. We placed on record that our relationship with INEC dated back to 2010 when the former ASUU president, Attahiru Jega was chairman. Even though we are not in the position now to do everything we were doing that time, we have assured them that we will not stand in the way of our members participating in the election as ad-hoc staff. “The decision of our union as at the last time we met was that our members are free as citizens to participate in the electoral process as ad-hoc staff and we have restated that today that we are not going to stop any of our members who wishes to serve in that capacity. “On our own part, ...

President Muhammadu Buhari has called on Labour Unions to allow his administration concentrate on fixing infrastructure in the country rather than distracting it. Buhari, said this during a meeting with the Executive Committee of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) at the State House, Abuja. He urged the students to continue to plead with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, assuring that he will speak with the lecturers’ body “so that they don’t encroach on your efforts to qualify in time.” He said that he had explained in details while presenting the 2019 budget estimates, the earnings and expenditure and therefore expected the elite to understand the position of the government on certain issues, adding that it is the responsibility of the government to look after the employed as well as the unemployed. He urged the youths to start preparing themselves to lead the country. “There is a tendency for you to think that you can do better than anybody , ...

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) says it has not been briefed on the alleged payment of N15.89bn to universities by the Federal Government, two months after it declared indefinite strike. ASUU’s National President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, disclosed this in an interview with the NAN on Wednesday in Lagos. Ogunyemi was reacting to reports that the Federal Government had, on December 31, 2018, released N15.89bn to universities.The report stated that the fund was for the payment of shortfall in salaries of universities. “Well, someone actually drew my attention to the report. I have not received any formal letter from the Federal Government conveying such information to us. “The only information I got from the Minister of Labour this afternoon when we spoke was that they have done something concerning our demands; what they have done, I do not know.“The other thing he told me was that there is going to be a meeting between us (ASUU) and government on Monday. “It is ...