ASUU Strike: Why FG Released Only N30bn — Suswam

ASUU Strike: Why FG Released Only N30bn — Suswam

ASUU Strike: Why FG Released Only N30bn — Suswam

 
The federal government has explained why it released only N30 billion rather that the N92 billion demanded by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as part of the ‘earned allowance.’

Benue State governor Gabriel Suswam, who heads the FG’s Needs Assessment Committee, while speaking yesterday in Abuja during a meeting with the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) said the government had to verify that the earned allowance being requested by ASUU is up to N92 billion.

Suswam also said the N30 billion was yesterday released to the Ministry of Education for  immediate distribution to the university councils.

He said only the university councils could carry out such verification, noting that government cannot hand out money without verification.

He noted that government would release more money if after due process had been followed a deficit was noted.

He said, “On the issue of earned allowance, the government has accepted in principle the payment of earned allowance which ASUU valued at N92billion. What the FG has done is to release an initial sum of N30billion and we appealed to ASUU to go and verify exactly how much each person is owed so we would know how the figure of N92 billion was arrived at.”

Suswam disclosed that goovernment had already released the N30billion in question the previous day to the Ministry of Education which would in turn release it to governing councils of the institutions and was then appealing to the lecturers to return to work.