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From Mohammed Abubakar, Dutse
The Jigawa State Government has rejected the two-week ultimatum issued by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of the state-owned Sule Lamido University (SLU), Kafin Hausa, describing it as unacceptable and untimely.
The Commissioner for Higher Education, Prof. Isa Yusuf Chamo, while reacting to the ultimatum, said the administration had done everything possible not only to upgrade the institution but also to enhance the welfare of both academic and non-academic staff of the institution.
The union rose from its meeting on Tuesday with a resolution calling on the state government to, among others, fully implement the 2025 ASUU/FGN agreement and pay the accrued arrears from January 2026 to date.
Similarly, the union demanded the exemption of the university from the IPPMS, due to its lack of continuity with the university’s peculiarities; the remittance of all outstanding third-party deductions; and the payment of all outstanding responsibility allowances to entitled staff.
The union also called for the payment of all outstanding annual increments due to members since 2023, settlement of all outstanding promotion arrears owed to entitled staff since 2024, and the release of the approved 2024 Earned Academic Allowance (EAA).
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However, the Commissioner, while speaking with newsmen, described the academics’ position as surprising, given the resources expended on the university, including the ₦10 billion the state government has expended on improving infrastructural facilities and the payment of staff welfare.
According to him, “In terms of welfare, we’re doing our best to ensure that the welfare of the teaching and non-teaching staff are taken off by paying the arrears, but to my surprise, based on the reasons given by lecturers for the proposed warning strike.
“What about the issue of the warning strike, to my understanding, could be ae a result communication gap between the the government and ASUU, because all they’ve been requesting, the government has taken steps to implement them.
“With regards to the implementation of the agreement between the federal government and ASUU it was just last week that we received a communication from the National Universities Commission, (NUC) for which we have forwarded to the Vice-Chancellor of the university to work out the details before it is submitted for budgetary allocation.
“In a situation where you just received a memo on an issue and you’re being given an ultimatum of two-week ultimatum. How can you implement what you don’t have any knowledge about, what you don’t have budgetary provision for it? In government, there’s nothing you can do without budget.”
