The Federal Government has agreed to release N30 billion earned academic allowance to the university lecturers.

The money will be paid in tranches between May 2021 and February 2022.

The PUNCH gathered that the FG also promised to spend N20 billion on the revitalisation of the education sector as part of concessions meant to end the seven-month strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

These were part of the agreements reached during the ongoing meeting between the FG and ASUU leadership on Thursday.

Speaking earlier before going into a closed-door session, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said students were being recruited into the #EndSARS protests following the closure of universities occasioned by the ASUU strike.

He expressed the hope that ASUU would call off the strike soon, noting that the government has been finding ways to end the seven-month strike.

The government team was led by Ngige, his minister of state, Festus Keyamo (SAN), and others, while the ASUU delegation was led by its President, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi.

Ngige said, “For the past one week, we have all been on our toes, we have been meeting and we pray that this meeting will yield some good fruits.

“We don’t take very great pleasure in the fact that the children who are supposed to be in school are being recruited into the #EndSARS, #EndStrike, #EndSWAT and all kinds of situations.

“As much as possible, we will try to see how we can meet ourselves halfway so that we can resolve this crisis to the benefits of all and the country at large.”

Ogunyemi said there was a need for everyone to look at the issues affecting the university system as a national emergency in the country.

He commended the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, Ngige, and Accountant-General of the Federation, Idris Ahmed, among others, for facilitating the discussion.

By Adelani Adepegba