Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, said Nigeria cannot afford another round of strike in public universities.
He appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities to withdraw the three-week deadline issued to the federal government.
ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke, said the 2009 agreement remains the foundation of the bone of contention.
He says the union does not like going on strike but compelled in the face of government’s inability to implement agreements.
Among the eight issues in conflict are funding for the revitalisation of universities, earned academic allowance, renegotiation of agreement, withheld salaries due to IPPIS problems and proliferation of state universities without adequate funding.
The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajuba, said the Earned Academic allowance will be paid from Monday.
He insisted no basis for the union to go on strike.
Finance Minister, Zainab Ahmed, said government still testing the University Transparency Accountability System developed by ASUU, adding that commitments in 2009 are no longer the same and appealed against another strike by ASUU.
