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Universities Union Leader Angry With Education Minister For Telling Lie

The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Biodun Ogunyemi is obviously angry with the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, for telling a lie that the sum of N25 billion has been approved by the Federal Government for university lecturers as Earned Academic Allowance (EAA).

Reacting to Adamu who said during his valedictory press briefing on Tuesday announced the approval of the sum of N25 billion as Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) for the lecturers, Professor Ogunyemi said that the Minister was not sincere about the alleged approval of the fund, adding that the Union has been seeking the said amount since February but has been tossed from one office to another without result.

He warned that for failing to abide by the agreement it reached with the Union before the strike was suspended in February, the Federal Government should be blamed for any further disruption of the Nigerian university system.

Professor Ogunyemi emphasized the N25 billion supposedly approved as part-payment for the outstanding arrears of the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) was supposed to have been done within the context of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOA) signed between the federal government of Nigeria and ASUU on 7th February 2019.

“Following the signing of the MOA, the union expected, as agreed, that the N25 billion EAA part-payment would be paid between 25th February 2019 and 28th February 2019.

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“As we speak today, there is no evidence that mainstreaming of EAA into the annual budget, beginning from this year, has been done. Indeed what has been going on is the tossing around of the agreement document between the offices of the Minister of Education and Finance.

“All our efforts to track the said N25 billion at the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation have proved abortive. This is not only unacceptable to us but disheartening and frustrating to our members across the country.

“It is frustrating because we have visited the Ministry of education at least three times and written letters to the Ministry since we signed the MOA in February 2019, all to no avail. This is a complete breach of trust on the part of the government.”

Professor Ogunyemi said that the union expects nothing less than the immediate release of the N25 billion to their members who are entitled to such claims and the mainstreaming of EAA into the annual budget as agreed in the MOA.

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