The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu has said that a previous administration caused friction with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) which the Muhammadu Buhari administration inherited.
He said that the previous government, which he did not name, signed an agreement with ASUU to plough N1.3 trillion into the universities.
Adamu explained that it was impossible to get N1.3 trillion to inject into the university system given present economic realities.
He noted that ASUU has been embarking on incessant strikes because of this agreement.
The minister spoke Monday during a Town Hall meeting on security issues at the Multi-Purpose Indoor Sports Hall Complex Bauchi.
The meeting themed, ‘Engaging the Youth and Communities’ was organised by state government at the instance of the Federal Government.
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Reacting to a question, Adamu said, “a government in this country went and sat down with ASUU and agreed on some conditions that it would pay universities N1.3 trillion.
“I do believe that while they were signing that agreement, they knew that it is not possible for them to implement it. There is just nowhere N1.3trn will come out from.
“I think the basic problem between the ASUU side and the government side has been deciding on what to do about this N1.3 trillion. If a government appends its signature to an agreement, it is an agreement.”
He assured that the Federal Government would soon reach an agreement to bring the seven-month-long ASUU strike to an end.