Jonathan wants labour laws reviewed to tame ASUU

Jonathan, centre at the media chat

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday advocated a review of labour laws to curtail the excesses of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other labour unions.
The President, who made the call during a Presidential media chat in Abuja, urged the striking members of ASUU to return to work in the interest of their students and the education sector.
The President also said it was inconceivable that lecturers in state-owned universities would go on strike over issues concerning the allowances of lecturers in federal universities.
He said such a situation would not occur if well-guided and well-thought out laws were in place regulating labour union activities.

Jonathan also said that the N79 billion Earned Allowance arrears, which was the major reason for the ASUU strike, was not supposed to be paid from the federation account.
According to the President, earned allowances ought to be paid from the Internally Generated Revenue of the universities, if a good labour law is in place.
Jonathan called on the striking ASUU to reconsider its stand by accepting government offer, and call its members back to the classrooms.
The President reiterated the commitment of his administration to adequately fund the universities and provide the necessary infrastructure to aid the education sector
Jonathan said that the PDP-led administration had done quite well, despite all the odds and challenges
According to him, Nigeria is better off in the past years of the PDP-led government with improved standard of living, building of more federal universities, improved telecommunication, railways and roads.
The President assured that with the commitment of his administration to the privatisation of the power sector, electricity supply would become stable by the end of the first quarter of 2014.
He also debunked insinuations in certain quarters that Nigeria insolvent, saying Nigeria is neither broke nor bankrupt. He said
claim was politically motivated.
He explained that the misunderstanding between the Federal and States’ Ministries of Finance during FAAC meeting was not because federal government could not afford allocations due to States.
He said the misunderstanding was misconceived by the opposition to label the country as being bankrupt. According to him, the nation’s economy is witnessing tremendous growth with the right policies put in place by his administration.
He said: ‘’Nigeria is now an investors’ haven in sub-saharan Africa and the GPD is growing at appreciable rate.’’
The President said that oil theft which hitherto was at alarming rate was being brought under control adding that government was building a robust security architecture to check the crime.
He said that some arrests had been made and prosecution of the offenders were on course.
Jonathan likened oil theft to Boko Haram insurgence and said ‘’it is a cancer that must be crushed.’’ He called on the international community to label oil theft an international crime and assist in arresting the perpetrators when such crude got to their soil.
The President also noted that government was winning the war against corruption and said the menace was not the country’s Number One problem.
On the recent killing of seven suspected Boko Haram members at Apo, a suburb of Abuja, Jonathan said that his administration would continue to safeguard all citizens from terrorist attacks.
According to him, the preliminary security report on the incident shows that there was element of Boko Haram at the uncompleted building.
‘’It is my duty as a President to stop the killing of innocent people by militant groups across the country.’’
The President also dismissed the assertion that the Federal Executive Council had been turned into a contract awarding council, saying the council was not violating the nation’s constitution by approving the award contracts.