FG SLACKS ON DEC 9 ASUU ULTIMATUM

The Presidency said on Monday it was no longer interested in the December 9  deadline  it handed over to the striking university  teachers  to return to work.Rather, it said it was satisfied with the lecturers’  level of compliance with  the  directive to them  to resume work or be sacked.The Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said this while briefing journalists on the payment of the N200bn by the Federal Government into the “Revitalisation of Universities Infrastructure” account with the Central Bank of Nigeria.Okupe’s claim of “substantial compliance” was however described as  total falsehood by the Academic Staff Union of Universities leadership, which also said it would not attend a meeting on Wednesday 11/12/13  with the Supervising Minister of Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, and vice-chancellors on  the University Needs Assessment Report Implementation Committee.Okupe had  told journalists   that  the Federal Government  was soft pedalling on the threat to sack the defiant ASUU members  because  many senior citizens and institutions had intervened.He said that as of Sunday evening, government had reports that   there was substantial compliance by many lecturers   with the directive.The Presidential aide  added that   the development  encouraged  the  government   to mellow down on its earlier tough stance.