FROM RAHILA ABDULLAHI, KADUNA
Kaduna State government has expressed willingness to meet with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, in order to resolve all contentious issues that led to the strike at the state university.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Alhaji Rabiu Yunusa, who made this promise at a press briefing, said the ministry and the management of Kaduna State University, KASU, will sit with ASUU again to find a common ground.
Yunusa recalled that an understanding had earlier been reached with the university lecturers and approval was about to be given before ASUU embarked on the strike.
‘’The outstanding demands of ASUU is about N4 billion and it predated 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 all the gains that KASU has made under the present administration.
He said Governor Uba Sani had 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 expended over N290 million to the university, to facilitate the National Universities Commission’s, NUC, accreditation. This shows that he has the progress of KASU at heart.
‘’The Ministry of Education is grateful to Governor Sani for all that he is doing for the education sector. He always meets our demands. KASU chapter of ASUU should know that he keeps to his promises,’’ he added.
It would be recalled that Governor Sani had facilitated the building of the Faculty of Engineering, the biggest intervention to any state university, at KASU’s permanent site which is under construction, as a senator.
