ASUU may end strike next week
Hope of an early resolution of the
strike embarked on by the public
universities’ lecturers rises as the Vice- President Namadi Sambo met with the
leadership of the Academic Staff Union
of Universities in Abuja on Thursday.
The meeting held behind closed doors
had in attendance the supervising
Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike
and the Executive Secretary of National
Universities Commission, Prof. Julius
Okojie.
The union was led by its National
President, Dr. Nasir Faggae, and two
former Presidents of ASUU; Dr. Dipo
Fasina and Dr. Abdullahi Sule-Kano.
Others at the meeting were the Vice-
Chancellors of Bayero University Kano,
Prof. Abdulrasheed Abubakar; Prof.
Isaac Adewole of the University of
Ibadan; and Prof. Muhammed Hamisu
of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
University, Bauchi.
It was however uncertain if yesterday’s
discussion was fruitful as the two
parties did not disclose the outcome of
the meeting which lasted for two hours
to journalists.
Fagge, however, told State House
Correspondents that the union would
make its position known after the
National Executive Council meeting.
Wike assured Nigerians that students
would soon return to school as
government was ready to make sure all
the contending issues were resolved as
soon as possible.
But a source at the meeting, who
pleaded anonymity, however, told one
of our correspondents that going by the
new offers made by the Federal
Government, the strike might be called
off within the next two weeks.
This, the source said, was because the
Federal Government had agreed to
inject fund to revitalize the university
system.
“The meeting went well, the vice-
president made some new offers that
were different from what was on
ground before. For instance, the
Federal Government had agreed to
start the injection of revitalisation
fund into the university system
starting with N100bn this year and
N150bn in 2014 and this will continue
until the university system is solid
enough to stand.
The source, however, said that the ASUU
team promised the vice-president that
the union would make it decision on the
strike known after its NEC meeting
unconfirmed source said had been
scheduled for Saturday.
PUNCH