Festus Keyamo, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment of Nigeria, has stated the federal government is short of money to meet the demands of the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.
Keyamo requested that parents should beg ASUU members to return to classes because the federal government would not obtain a loan to meet the demands of the lecturers.
He said this on Friday during an interview on ‘Politics Today’, a programme on Channels Television
Mr Keyamo said the meetings ASUU had with the Nimi Briggs committee were done without the input from the Ministry of Finance and other agencies with roles to play in the implementation of the recommendations.
The minister said the federal government could not meet the financial implications of the Briggs committee, hence the need for fresh negotiation.
He described the proposals in Brigg’s committee report as “unrealistic”, adding that other unions in the education sector are also opposed to the content of the report.
“At a point, we set up the Nimi Briggs committee to receive the complaints of ASUU and look into how the report could be accommodated within the framework of the finances of the government.
“When the committee began to sit with ASUU, there were critical institutions of government that were supposed to be in those meetings. National Salaries Income and Wages Commission, Budget Office of the Federation, Head of Service, Ministry of Finance. ASUU at a time rejected these agencies from sitting down with them.
“How can you sit down with the Ministry of Education without those with the purse of government? Without those who know … how people are to be paid? That was what ASUU did with the Briggs Committee. They sat down and fixed their own salaries and emoluments with the Ministry of Education without the other critical stakeholders.”
