The Kaduna State Government has expressed willingness to meet with the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) to resolve contentious issues that led to the Kaduna State University(KASU) strike.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Alhaji Rabiu Yunusa, made the promise at a news conference in Kaduna and added that the Ministry of Education and KASU management will sit with ASUU again to find common ground.
Rabiu recalled that the university lecturers had earlier reached an understanding, and approval was about to be given, before ASUU embarked on the strike.
“The outstanding demands of ASUU are about N4 billion, predating this administration. But the Governor promised to pay all their allowances in batches, given the financial situation of Kaduna State,’’ he said.
The Permanent Secretary counselled that the strike action will be counterproductive to the gains that KASU has made under the present administration.
Rabiu said that Governor Uba Sani has done a lot in making KASU one of the best State-owned universities in the country, especially in facilitating the accreditation of nine science courses.
The Governor allocated over N290 million to the university to facilitate the National Universities Commission(NUC) accreditation, which shows that the Governor cares about KASU’s progress.
“The Ministry of Education is very grateful to Governor Uba Sani for all he does for the education sector. The Governor always meets our demands. The KASU chapter of ASUU should know that he keeps to his promise,’’ the permanent secretary added.
