The federal government on Tuesday in yielding to pressure from parents and stakeholders over the prolonged shutdown of public universities, withdrew the ultimatum it issued to members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

Senior special assistant to the President on public affairs, Doyin Okupe, told journalists that the idea behind the ultimatum was to ensure that the institutions are reopened as quickly as possible and that the compliance it received was quite substantial.

“Right now, the issue of ultimatum is not a matter for discussion anymore. There has been substantial compliance nationwide,” Okupe said.

According to him, about 70% of lecturers had returned to work.

Okupe also said the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, had in a letter signed by its deputy governor, Tunde Lemo，and addressed to the Accountant General of the Federation, confirmed that it received the N200 billion meant for the union as agreed in a meeting on  November 5, 2013.

The money is said to be deposited in a “Revitalization of Universities Infrastructure Account” domiciled in the CBN.

The consequence of disobeying the ultimatum initially issued, would have brought one of the largest lay-offs the country had ever witnessed but for the shift of grounds announced by the federal government.