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Strike: ASUU Gets N30bn for Earned Allowances

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The Federal Government has agreed to release N30 billion as part payment of the Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Sen. Chris Ngige. Minister of Labour and Employment said this at the end of a meeting between the Federal Government and ASUU on Friday in Abuja.

“The Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) was committed to release N30 billion on or before Nov.

6.

“The remaining N10 billion would be spread equally over the two tranches to be paid in May 2021 and February 2022 respectively. The OAGF should quickly conclude the verification of figures of EAA claims so as to clean up the figures from 2014 to 2020.

“To this end, a committee would be constituted by NUC to develop a template that would capture all the agreed allowances in the 2009 Agreement for all the Unions in the Universities.

“Thereafter, the OAGF and the National University Commission (NUC) are to quickly conclude the verification of the EAA figures, so as to defray the payment from 2014 to 2020. ASUU is to work with the OAGF and NUC to achieve that by the end of December,” he said.

He noted that the process of mainstreaming of the EAA into annual budget using the agreed formula shall be activated.

He also said that the NUC and Ministry of Education are to coordinate the activation process immediately and should be concluded by Nov. 6th.

Ngige added that the National Assembly has agreed to implement the process of mainstreaming provided the amount involved is sent in as quickly as possible by the Ministry of Education.

The minister also said that both parties agreed on the issue of funding for the revitalisation of public universities.

“In spite of the economic downturn as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, government have offer N20 billion payable by the end of January 2021, ” he said.

He said that ASUU also agreed to take the offer to its members for consideration and revert by Oct. 21.

“The Minister of Education will follow up with the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning on its earlier Memo to Mr President on sources of alternative funding for revitalisation to facilitate the process of additional funding of the University system.

“This is with a view to reactivating the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of 2013 as agreed in the Memorandum of Action (MoA) of 2019,” he said.

Ngige, however, said it was agreed that on the issue of Salary Shortfall that ASUU will confirm and report at the next meeting.

On the state universities, it was agreed that the NUC Act will be amended in order to strengthen its regulatory capacity.

It was agreed that ASUU will work with NUC on this and then involve the relevant Committee of the National Assembly.

He noted that on the payment of EAA to ASUU members at the University of Ilorin that the issue has been resolved.

Ngige however noted that the meeting was informed that the visitation panels to Federal Universities have been approved by Mr President, but they have not been gazetted.

He said that the Federal Ministry of Education is to ensure gazetting within two weeks on or before Oct. 29th.

“The meeting agreed that the Panel will be inaugurated latest by the end of November and the Panel will have a four to six weeks mandate to finish its work by Dec. 31st and submit two reports per university covering five years periods of 2011 – 2015 and 2016 – 2020,” he said.

Ngige also revealed that government renegotiating team would be reconstituted on or before Oct. 31, and the renegotiation will be concluded on or before Dec. 31.

On the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), the meeting was informed that ASUU has met its timeline regarding the first stage of the initial demonstration of the efficacy of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) to government.

The meeting also agreed that if UTAS passed all the integrity test, which involve the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), it would be adopted for the payment of the University staff.

Meanwhile the meeting could not agree on how payment would be done for ASUU members during the transitional period of UTAS tests.

It said that the government side again appealed to ASUU to enroll on IPPIS platform in view of the Presidential directive that all Federal Government employees should be paid via IPPIS.

It added that they can thereafter be migrated to UTAS whenever certified digitally efficient and effective with accompanying security coverage.

The ASUU maintained that given ASUU’s invention of UTAS, it should be exempted from IPPIS in the transition period.

Also on the issue of withheld salaries of ASUU members, the meeting agreed that Government will pay this money as soon as the mode of payment is agreed upon by both parties.

The meeting is to reconvene on Oct. 21 for ASUU to report back on the decision of her National Excecutive Counclil (NEC), in order to facilitate the calling off of their strike. (NAN)

Education

UNICAL VC Promises to Resolve Dentistry Students’ Crisis

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From Ene Asuquo, Calabar

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi has promised that she would do everything humanly possible to ensure that the ongoing crisis in the institution’s Department of Dentistry, is resolved.

Prof.

Obi made the promise in Calabar during a press briefing, stressing that she will resolve the crisis before leaving office.

She explained that the problem predates her administration, and pledged to intensify efforts to rectify the crisis.

She added that the crisis was as a result of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN)’s refusal to induct 2016 Dentistry students of the institution.

She also debunked claims circulating on social media that the institution’s Dentistry programme has lost its accreditation, describing the reports as “misinformation and distortion of facts,” clarifying that the programme remains fully accredited and no students have been directed to transfer to other universities.

“At no point did the University ask Dentistry students to seek transfers to other institutions, nor were they advised to ‘go and learn a trade’ as falsely alleged online,” the VC stated.

“I will feel very bad if I leave without solving this problem and the students are left hanging without knowing their fate. I won’t be fulfilled,” she said.

She reaffirmed the University’s commitment to ensuring all Dentistry students graduate and are duly licensed as dental surgeons.

She noted that the Dentistry programme commenced in the 2013/2014 academic session, and in November 2019, the University secured pre-clinical accreditation from the MDCN and full clinical accreditation was subsequently granted in December 2022.

The VC added that the university’s synergy and partnership with the Minister of Education and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to upgrade its facilities.

“All we asked for is time to engage with other institutions, update the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), and follow through on due processes,” she noted.

Speaking further, Obi said that some of the affected students demanded to be transferred to the Department of Medicine and Surgery but said it was not the solution as the department was already saturated.

She urged the affected students to remain calm, noting that the university was doing everything possible to resolve the issues before the end of her tenure.

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Education

NUT Reaffirms Commitment to Teachers’ Professional Development in Kwara

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From Abdullahi Abubakar, Ilorin

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Kwara State Wing has restated its commitment to strengthening the professional growth of teachers across the State, to enhance the quality of education delivered in public schools. Speaking at the opening of a three-day capacity-building workshop in Ilorin, the State Chairman of the Union, Comrade Yusuf Wahab Agboola, noted that continuous training of teachers remains a vital component of educational reform and improved classroom delivery.

The training, organised in collaboration with the NUT National Secretariat, is targeted at selected teachers and focuses on the “Study Circle Conveners’ Model”—a grassroots strategy for enhancing peer-to-peer learning and participatory leadership within the education sector.

Comrade Agboola explained that the workshop aims to equip teachers with practical skills in collaborative learning, peer engagement, and innovative teaching practices. He expressed optimism that the training would promote professional bonding among teachers and foster collective solutions to challenges facing the education sector.

Also speaking at the event, the National Coordinator of the NUT Study Circle Project, Comrade Solomon Igbelowowa, traced the initiative’s roots to 1985 when it was introduced in Nigeria by the Swedish Teachers Association, having recorded success in Sweden and other parts of the world. He commended the Nigerian Union of Teachers for sustaining the project over the years and urged participants to engage fully and make the most of the training opportunity.

The workshop was officially declared open by the National President of the NUT, Audu Amba, who was represented by the 3rd National Vice President, Bashir Oyewo.

He encouraged teachers to approach the sessions with dedication and punctuality.

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Education

JAMB Sets 150  Cut-off Mark for University Admissions

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Joint Admission and Matriculation Board
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By Tony Obiechina Abuja

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has fixed 150 as the minimum cut-off mark for admission into Nigerian universities for the 2025/2026 academic session.

The decision was reached on Tuesday during the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions, held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja, with stakeholders from various tertiary institutions in attendance.

According to JAMB, 140 was approved as the minimum score for colleges of nursing sciences, while polytechnics, colleges of education, and colleges of agriculture will admit candidates with a minimum score of 100.

“The minimum admissible scores for admissions for the next academic session have been fixed at 150 for universities, 100 for polytechnics, 100 for colleges of education, and 140 for colleges of nursing sciences by the stakeholders (Heads of Tertiary Institutions),” JAMB announced via its official X account.

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