The Nasarawa State Government has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nasarawa State University, Keffi, to call off the ongoing strike, saying it is committed to paying the backlog of earned allowances despite not signing any formal agreement.
Magaji made the appeal while receiving the leadership of the NSUK Alumni Association, led by its National President, Mr Nuhu Egya, in his office in Lafia.
The SSG, who served for 6 years on the NSUK Governing Council, said he had always stood for staff welfare and urged the ASUU to have faith in the Governor’s sincerity and call off the strike.
He listed what Gov. Sule’s administration has done without any written agreement, including payment of gratuity arrears up to 2013, implementation of minimum wage, payment of 50 per cent of 13th month salary and entitlements for former deputy governors and development area administrators.
“These are things that he’s doing seamlessly, subject to the availability of resources. And he’s doing it without any written agreement, yet he committed himself.
Magaji recalled that when the strike began, the government held a meeting with the university community at the Government House, where it was agreed that staff would call off the strike once the government paid.
He expressed shock that the lecturers, after confirming they had received their payment, came up with another demand.
“The Governor is a man of honour; he is a sincere and principled man who keeps to his word. What’s happening now has a semblance of betrayal,” he stated.
The SSG commended Alumni for the intervention and promised to take their position to the Governor, while urging ASUU to continue engaging government in good faith to protect students and the future of the institution.
Speaking earlier, Mr Nuhu Egya, National President of NSUK Alumni, said the Association were in the SSG office to appeal to the government to make a commitment to pay the remaining months of earned allowances in tranches.
Egya said the strike has affected students’ accommodation, new admissions and the planned National Universities Commission accreditation for the Faculty of Medical Sciences.
“Sir, we cannot afford to miss such a faculty. This is a faculty that the university has been fighting for over 20 years, and we are about to lose this golden opportunity.
“The union have agreed that if there is a written commitment by the government to pay the remaining arrears, they are ready to call off this strike based on our intervention,” Egya said.
It will be recalled that the ASUU NSUK chapter embarked on an indefinite strike on Aug. 10 over unpaid arrears, including Earned Academic Allowance.
