The federal government on Thursday insisted that it will not concede to the pressure by the members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities to be paid the backlog of salaries denied during the ongoing strike.
It described the no-work-no-pay policy as the only obstacle in the FG-ASUU negotiations.
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, declared this at the 47th session of the State House Ministerial Media Briefing organized by the Presidential Communications Team at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
āAll contentious issues between the government and ASUU had been resolved except the quest for membersā salaries for the period of the strike to be paid, a demand that Buhari has flatly opposed,ā Adamu explained.
He argued that ASUU went on strike despite the Buhari regime and agencies such as TETFUND and UBEC directly empowering trillions of naira in education.
Adamu also disclosed that five of the six striking university-based unions will likely return to work within the next one week, whereas ASUU remains reluctant.
According to him, the FG rejected ASUUās demand to be paid the backlog of emoluments for the past five months because it believes that there should be penalties for their actions.
He, however, reported that consultations were still ongoing among ASUU members to determine when to call off the strike.