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Tag: Minister of Education

FG and ASUU Commence Crucial Meeting to Avert Nationwide Strike
By Milcah Tanimu
In a significant development, the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have initiated a key meeting in Abuja, aimed at averting a potential nationwide strike across public universities in Nigeria. The discussions are taking place at the Conference Hall of the Federal Ministry of Education.
The meeting comes in response to ASUU’s recent threat to commence industrial action, citing the government’s failure to address several critical issues. These concerns reportedly include funding deficiencies, staff welfare, and the implementation of previous agreements.
ASUU, represented by its President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, has voiced frustration over the unmet commitments, which have been central to the union’s demands. Despite an earlier attempt to schedule a meeting last Monday, it was postponed without any provided reasons.
Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, had previously indicated the government’s willingness to engage with ASUU, signaling an attempt to resolve the ongoing disputes.
The meeting includes prominent figures from the Federal Ministry of Education and former ASUU presidents, led by the immediate past president, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi.
The outcome of these negotiations is pivotal, as it will determine whether public universities in Nigeria will face further disruptions. Both the government and ASUU are under considerable pressure to reach an agreement that will allow academic activities to proceed uninterrupted.
August 28, 2024
Half-Salary: FG Won’t Pay ASUU For Work Not Done – Minister of Education
Amidst ongoing protests by the Academic Staff Union of Universities over part payment of salaries by the Federal Government in October, the Federal Government has maintained its position that the lecturers would not be paid for work not done.
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, stated this on Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja.
The part payment followed the suspension of ASUU’s eight-month strike, in line with an order by the National Industrial Court for the lecturers to return to work.
Responding to allegations by the National President of ASUU, Prof, Emmanuel Osodoke that the part payment was simply a tactic to casualise lecturers in the university system, the minister stated that the government held no such plans.
“The strike has been called off and the government has paid them what is due to them. I think that is the position of the government, that it is not going to pay anyone for work not done and they only did the number of days that they were paid,” Adamu said.
“How can anybody make a university lecturer a casual worker? It is impossible to make a university lecturer a casual worker.”
When asked if the Federal Government would be willing to take steps to assuage the ASUU and stave off further hostilities, the Minister said;
“I don’t understand, is there any problem now?”.
On the planned work-free-day, he said:
“Oh? Okay, I’m not aware. I’m not aware. That they are going on strike? No, nobody has told me.
“So let’s wait till the work-free-day comes, then I’ll find out the details and we’ll discuss, you can ask me then, but at the moment, I’m telling you honestly, I do not know that there is a problem”
Also reacting to President of the ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodoke’s claim of the union only having an agreement with the Minister of Education and Speaker Femi Gbajabiamiala, not with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Adamu said;
“I cannot add any light on something that I did not know.
“And since they said they have no business with the Minister of … Did they show you the agreement? Well, I’m not aware that there’s any agreement between us.”
November 16, 2022
Strike: FG yet to Resolve Issues – ASUU tells Minister
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Bayero University, Kano, BUK branch has on Tuesday slammed the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu over claims that the Federal Government has resolved the contentious issues except the payment of the six month withheld salaries.
The union who described the Minister’s claim as misleading maintained that none of the contending issues have been addressed.
In a statement signed by the Union’s Chairperson, Haruna Musa and Secretary, Kabiru Haruna Isa, they accused the Minister of diverting attention of Nigerians from the government’s failure to resolve the contentious issues to casting blames on the union over the prolonged strike action on grounds of withheld salaries.
According to the union, “More worrisomely, the Minister of Education, has resorted to blatant disinformation and cheap blackmail in order to deflect attention away from the Federal Government’s failure to resolve the contentious issues that led to the current strike action.
“In his media briefing held on 18th August, 2022, the Minister mischievously misinformed nigerians that all contentious issues have been resolved, except the payment of the six month withheld salaries.
“We want to make it unequivocally clear that contrary to the Minister’s claim, none of the contending issues has been addressed by the FG. The claim was a play to reduce our struggle to save nigerian university system to the issue of withheld salaries.
“ASUU-BUK vehemently condemns the FG’s mishandling of the protracted industrial dispute that has kept nigerian universities shut since February 14th. As the strike enters the 7th month, the FG has continued to demonstrate insincerity and lack of commitment towards resolving the impasse.
“Therefore, the FG should be solely held responsible for unnecessarily prolonging the avoidable strike action,” the union however stated.
August 24, 2022
ASUU Slams Minister of Education for Accusing it of Dodging Negotiation
THE Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has slammed the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, over comments credited to him that the Federal Government was looking for the union to continue negotiations before the leadership decided to embark on a four-week strike, last Monday.
The union also described the comment as childish not deserving any response.
Yesterday the National President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, expressed disbelief at the comment.
“It is not everything one reacts to but that type of comment does not deserve any response. It is very unfortunate and childish. Does that mean there was no way they were getting across before? We have not turned to ghosts or invisible spirits. It shows the levity with which they treat issues,” he said.
Also speaking on the issue, the Chairman of the University of Ilorin chapter of ASUU, Prof. Moyosore Ajao, said the comment was ridiculous and wondered whether the minister was insinuating that he did not have the means of contacting the leaders of ASUU.
He said: “It is preposterous, very ridiculous indeed. Is the minister saying he does not know how to get across to the union’s leadership? He has the contact of the National President and we have chapters all over the country. In all the previous meetings that were held, how were our leaders contacted and informed about them?
“Nigerians can now see that the government has started giving excuses for its failure. Who is going to believe such a claim? We would have gone on strike since November last year but for the intervention of some prominent Nigerians and groups and we gave more time to the government to do the needful but it failed to do so.”
Ajao added that the monitoring team set up was ensuring total compliance with the strike call.
After the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, Adamu, in an interview with State House reporters, said the government was looking for leaders of the union to continue negotiations with them before they embarked on strike.
He also stated that the government was surprised that while some of the union’s demands were being met, members went on strike.
ASUU on Monday embarked on the strike, saying the government failed to meet some of its demands.
Among the demands are re-negotiation of the 2009 Agreement signed by the two sides, replacement of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System, IPPIS, with the University Transparency and Accountability System, UTAS, as the accounting platform to be used in the university system, the proliferation of universities by state and federal governments among others.
February 18, 2022
FG was against reopening of schools but had to compromise – Minister of Education
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, has stated that the Federal government was against the reopening of schools in the country today January 18.
Last week, the Minister had announced that his office was reviewing the January 18 reopening date for schools due to the second wave of the pandemic in the country. Many Nigerians expected that the review would lead to the postponement of the date for the reopening of schools. However, on Friday, January 15, the Ministry of Education released a statement approving the January 18 resumption date.
Following the backlash he received from some Nigerians for approving the reopening of schools, Adamu while speaking today Monday, January 18 at the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID19, said the Federal Government had reservations about the resumption of schools on January 18 but had to reach a compromise since it does not control all the schools.
In his words
“We sat down, looked at the figures and we took the decision that schools should not open. Unfortunately, we have to state this because it is supposed to be a collective decision, but you must understand that the schools we are talking about, the Federal Government has only about 100 out of thousands of schools.
The schools are under the jurisdiction of states and just as the PTF was unanimous in saying that schools should not open, states were unanimous that schools should open. So, we have to compromise and as PTF we shall monitor what is happening on a daily basis. There could be some review again”
January 19, 2021
Many Nigerian graduates can’t read or write Applications, Minister of Education Laments
Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, has expressed concern about the decline in the standard of education in the country.
Adamu, who spoke in Yola, Adamawa State, during the official commissioning of completed projects in the college, said a number of graduates can neither read nor write in a tolerable manner.
The minister who was represented by the Director of Tertiary Education in the Federal Ministry of Education, Hajia Rakiya Gambo Iliyasu said the situation was a cause for concern, adding that students and teachers need to sit up and face their tasks squarely if the situation is to be reversed.
“Some graduates of tertiary institutions across the country cannot read or write applications,” he said.
The minister further stated that students and even graduates had been found to be unable to write one full sentence without multiple corrections needing to be made.
The minister urged all stakeholders in the education sector to sit up to ensure that the decline in the value of education is bridged within the shortest time possible.
December 12, 2020
Unity schools to resume October 11- Minister
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu has announced that unity schools will be reopening across the country on October 11.
The Minister in the letter which confirmed the reopening of Unity Schools, said the decision was taken to enable students who have been at home since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic to complete their academic session which will end in December.
Officials of the schools have been urged to ensure that COVID-19 protocols are strictly observed to prevent its spread among students. Schools that have not concluded their 2nd term examination, were asked to “round off and commence 3rd term immediately which is expected to end in December”.
September 30, 2020
Warning strike: Reps invite ASUU, Labour, Education Ministers
The House of Representatives has invited the Minister of Education, Labour and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to find a lasting solution to ongoing warning strike by the union.
Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila This was sequel to the unanimous adoption of a motion of Urgent Matters of Public Importance by Rep. Dachung Bagos (PDP-Plateau) at the plenary on Tuesday.
Moving the motion earlier, Bagos said that ASUU had on March 9, after its National Executive Council meeting (NEC) held in Enugu embarked on a two-week warning strike.
Bagos said that schools had just resumed and that the strike if allowed to take full effect would cost a lot of students extra academic year.
“Also concerned, that the continued yearly strike by ASUU is becoming a national embarrassment to the country.
“It is worrisome that the continued strike has encouraged education tourism of Nigerians to other countries,” he said.
Rep. Kwewum Shawulu (PDP-Taraba) said that Nigerians spent over 300 million pounds to study in the United Kingdom and over N5 billion as school fees in Ghana.
He said that parents were sending their children to study in countries where Nigeria did not have comparative advantage.
The Rep said that more than one million children applied for admission to universities in the country annually.
Shawulu said that the universities in the country admitted about 250,000 of the 800,000 applicants in the country.
The lawmaker recommended that the procedure of owning private universities be made easier of individuals and groups to admit the rest 800,000.
Shawulu called on the house to broaden its interaction with ASUU and the government to boost investment in the sector.
He said that Nigerian universities are challenged with poor facilities like e-library, urging the leadership of the house to also factor in everything affecting the smooth operation of the schools.
In his ruling, the Speaker of the House, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila mandated the Clerk to issue letters to the relevant stakeholders for a meeting with him on Wednesday at 9 a.m. (NAN)
March 10, 2020