Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, has assured members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU of the house commitment towards resolving all outstanding issues between the union and the executive.
Mr Gbajabiamila, gave the assurance in a statement he personally signed and made available to members of the House of Representatives Press Corps in Abuja.
The Speaker noted that efforts to find a lasting solution to the concerns frequently raised by ASUU were on, as President Muhammadu Buhari has indicated interest to wade into it.
After acknowledging the patience and maturity exhibited by ASUU throughout the negotiation period , Mr Gbajabiamila urged them to remain calm in view of their latest outcry over the reported half payment of salaries by the federal government.
The speaker maintained that the position taken by the Executive that it was under no obligation to pay salaries to lecturers for the time spent on strike is premised on the law and the government’s legitimate interest in preventing moral hazard and discouraging disruptive industrial actions.
He emphasized that implementing meaningful change takes time, especially when appropriations and modifications to systems like IPPIS are required and appeal to all parties to be patient and grant each other the presumption of goodwill to achieve the set objectives.
While restating his commitment to providing sustainable reforms to the nation’s tertiary education system, Gbajabiamila noted that the challenges facing Nigerian tertiary education are multifaceted hence the need for all stakeholders to come together and proffer solutions.
He however announced that a national tertiary education summit will be convened where stakeholders would be allowed come up with ways to make things better in the sector.
COV : TSIBIRI
