FG, ASUU Move To Avert Strike, Resume Talks

The federal government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have met to avert the execution of the strike notice issued by the union.

It was gathered that the meeting, which started at about 2:17 p.m. yesterday at the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Education, Federal Secretariat, Abuja, was at the instance of the federal government.

Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, led the government team while the ASUU team was led by the association’s national president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke.

Addressing newsmen before the meeting went into a closed session, Mamman said his team would explain what the federal government had been doing since its last meeting with the union.

The minister acknowledged that a committee was set up to review the union’s demands but could not continue because of the nationwide protest.

“For us in the ministry, we will continue from where we stopped at our earlier meeting and find ways to progress.

“We share with you the desire for stability in the education system. The federal government will continue to do what is right to have a good education.

“We want to ensure that our students remain on campus and the government is committed to giving the university system the best it deserves,” he said.

For his part, Osodeke expressed worry at the government’s failure to resolve the lingering issues. He recalled that the union, on August 19, at the end of its NEC meeting held at the University of Ibadan, issued a 21-day strike notice to the federal government. Osodeke also narrated the development that led to the strike notice.

“We shelved the last strike because we were promised a quick resolution to our demands.

“For 15 months, all issues raised have not been resolved. We hope that after this meeting, we have a landmark of achievements to resolve our issues,” he stated.

Elaborating on the union’s demands, Osodeke stated that ASUU sought a comprehensive overhaul of the university system, including improved infrastructure, enhanced academic freedom, and a more sustainable funding model.

He emphasised that the union’s ultimate goal was to ensure that Nigerian universities could compete with their global counterparts regarding quality and output.