ASUU Strike To Continue As FG, Union Fix Monday For Further Talks

ASUU Strike To Continue As FG, Union Fix Monday For Further Talks

Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, meets with ASUU leaders in Abuja on December 10, 2018.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) says there is no going back on the nationwide strike in public universities across the country.

This comes despite the latest meeting between the Federal Government and the leadership of the union which held Monday at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment in Abuja.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, who presided over the crucial meeting promised the union leaders that the government would take all necessary steps to address their demands.

ASUU National President, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi led the union’s delegation to the meeting also attended by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba.

However, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education were absent.

The meeting was later adjourned till Monday next week to continue further talks.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, Professor Ogunyemi said the union would await the next adjournment date before it would take a decision on whether or not to suspend the industrial action that has entered its fifth week.

According to him, this is necessary to see how far the Federal Government will deliver on its promises made to address the concerns raised by the union.

Today’s meeting comes after at least four meetings between the government and the union since the strike began.

The ministries of education and labour held two separate meetings with the striking lecturers trying to resolve the issues.

The meetings, however, ended inconclusively.

ASUU commenced the total nationwide strike in November after a meeting of its national leadership at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, the Ondo State capital.

The strike was to protest the 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.