The Federal Government has said it does not have the money to meet the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Labour and Employment Minister Chris Ngige said this is because the comatose economy is taking its toll on all sectors, The Nation reports.
According to The Nation, Ngige spoke yesterday when he appeared on Channels Television’s evening programme, “Politics Today”.
He said: “To show commitment for revitalisation, a sum of N1.3 trillion was promised by (former) President Goodluck Jonathan, out of which N220 billion was paid.
“As at 2016/2017, it was discovered that government could not meet the demand. However, we have to have a way to fund the universities.
“For the balance of N1.1 trillion, the government does not have such fund, and that is the simple truth. Right now, the government does not have the money to meet with ASUU’s demand, hence we are calling for renegotiation.
“But I can tell you that the government is very serious about education, hence, we have been working round the clock to resolve this impasse.”
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