ASUU may likely call off strike this week

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) may call off its one-month old strike this week.

Its president, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, told our correspondent on phone the union has not called off the strike because it was still ironing out some grey areas in the agreement with federal government.

He assured the strike would be called off as soon as the grey areas were resolved.

The federal government had promised to meet demand of ASUU with release of about N220 billion not later than October 2017 to fund the revitalisation of federal universities as well as pay shortfall of salaries and accumulated allowances.

Ogunyemi said: “We are still trying to iron out some grey areas with the government. Once we finish doing that, we will address the press.”

It was gathered ASUU’s leadership had another meeting with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige last Friday to report the decisions of its members in accordance with the agreements between both parties.

At a conciliatory meeting with government, the union had agreed to go back to its member to take a decision on the offer of government and revert back with a view to calling off or suspending the strike.

Ngige told newsmen after the meeting:  “Most of these issues stemmed from the 2009 agreement that government had ASUU and also from the 2013 Memorandum of Understanding that the government had with ASUU.

“Government is a continuum. Most of those issues were not issues that cropped up from the Buhari administration, we inherited them.

“Based on these discussions, ASUU leadership will consult with its organs and revert back to government within one week.“They will consult with their organs with a view to calling off the strike. And we expect them that within one week, they will get back to government.

“These are the highlights of the meeting and I can tell you that the meeting took place in very cordial atmosphere.”

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