It's impossible to meet Union's N284bn demand - FG

dimeji akinloye

November 23, 2016 7:07 PM

Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige said there is no way the govt can meet ASUU's demand for earned allowance.

The

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, on Wednesday, November 23, said there is no way the government can meet the union’s demand for earned allowance running into N284 billion in a recession.

Ngige stated this after a meeting of the Federal Executive Council presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The minister said the government has conceded to the union the right to exclude endowment funds that accrued to universities from the Treasury Single Account.

ALSO READ: Ngige urges unemployed Nigerians to register for Social Intervention Scheme

But he said this does not mean that university councils will not have right to audit such an account.

Ngige said: "The other aspect of it is the earned allowance. The earned allowance is the only one that is not sorted out now because everybody knows and agrees that we are in recession.

"If we are in a recession and you are asking us to pay you N284bn, nobody will pay it because the money is not there."

ASUU had on Tuesday, November 22, called off its one-week warning strike.

dimeji akinloye