By Rex Enabulele/Abuja
The Federal Government has said that it was not averred to increase in salaries of public university lecturers who have been on a one month warning strike.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, yesterday dismissed insinuations that the Federal Government is not interested in enhancing the remuneration of university lecturers.
According to him, federal government is disposed to comparing what the lecturers earn presently with what is obtainable in other climes and make compensatory increment if necessary.
Ngige spoke to newsmen on Tuesday at the State House, Abuja, after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari on government’s current engagement with the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) over the lecturers ongoing warning strike.
“Yes, our university lecturers here deserve good pay. A worker is due his wages. So, if we compare with what obtains in other climes and they are not adequately remunerated.
“There is nothing that stops government within the lean resources we have to do some compensation raise and make them happy. So, we are not opposed to that but there is a process like I explained to them”, he said.
He noted that the President after consultation with some stakeholders, including the National Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), had mandated him to find a quick solution to the strike.
The Minister said a meeting had been held with ASUU with another one planned for Tuesday, stressing that the two areas that have not had issues properly analyzed are earned allowances and revitalization, “otherwise, we have put timelines on most of the other things.”
According to him, a timeline had been given for the draft proposal the union has at the ministry of education for their conditions of service and wages to be concluded.
Ngige said when the relevant committee headed by chairman of Pro-chancellors of Universities submits its report, it will be looked at in conjunction with the National Salaries and Wages Commission to make sure that the allowances so proposed do not run counter to government extant fixtures.
He said President Buhari was satisfied with his brief, stressing that the “2020 December agreement with ASUU is on course in terms of implementation.”
Ngige also explained that N40 billion for earned allowances has been paid just as N30 billion for revitalization as well as the sum of N22.7 billion paid from supplementary budget as also earned allowances for 2021.
On whether to use either the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS) or the University Transparency Accountability Solutions (UTAS), he said the committee saddled with the responsibility had been given four weeks to provide feedback.
According to him, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) ran user acceptance test, integrity and vulnerability tests on UTAS and concluded that it did not meet the requirements after pointing out areas of lapses, but ASUU has rejected it as incorrect.
He said a joint technical team will meet to do the tests again for confirmation of the initial findings and necessary solutions.
