Asuu Hints At Suspending Nationwide Strike Next Week

A meeting between the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (Asuu) and a Federal Government delegation ended in another stalemate on Monday.

But president of the union Professor Biodun Ogunyemi told newsmen after the meeting that Asuu would await the next meeting before it would take a decision on whether or not to suspend the strike.

The two parties had resumed talks over the ongoing strike in public varsities, but they postponed negotiations till Monday, December 17, 2018.

Concise News understands that the country’s Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, said the President Muhammadu Buhari administration would do everything necessary to address the demands of the union.

Also present at the meeting was the National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, while Asuu President, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, led the union’s delegation to the meeting.

But the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, was absent.

And while addressing newsmen at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment in Abuja, the Asuu president said it was necessary to wait till next week in order to ascertain government’s seriousness over its demands.

“Our own understanding is that we heard promises made on the part of government, we shall await the report on all the issues, which they have made the promises,” Ogunyemi said.

“Only after that, we can get back to our members to take a decision.”

The union commenced the nationwide strike on 5 November after a meeting of its national leadership at the Federal University of Technology, Akure.

The lecturers are protesting poor funding of Nigerian Universities, the alleged plot to increase students’ fees, introduction of an education bank, as well as non-implementation of previous agreements, among other issues.