ASUU-Federal Government Meeting Ends In Deadlock Again

BY TEMI OHAKWE, ABUJA

The scheduled Tuesday meeting between the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and representatives of the Federal Government has ended in deadlock again.

Responding to enquiries by Forefront News on the outcome of the Tuesday meeting in Abuja, the President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke said the meeting yielded no positive outcome that would lead to the suspension of the six months old strike.

Prof. Osodeke said the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu was not present at the meeting which took place at the National Universities Commission (NUC) neither did the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed attended.

The ASUU President further said his leadership only met with the Prof. Nimi Briggs Committee, stressing that the Union had expected the Federal Government to sign its agreement or present acceptable compromise but failed to present any progressive position.

In the words of Osodeke; “The meeting went very bad. They even came with worst conditions than where we were.

“We stated the agreements and we thought they will come and say let us sign or if there are little adjustment but, they came and presented nothing.

“We didn’t see any Minister. We only met with the Nimi Briggs Committee. None of them was there including the NUC ES. We only met with the re-negotiation committee,” he said.

The ASUU President however did not disclose the new conditions or terms presented by the Nimi Briggs Committee but, said the Union would further address the media on the outcome of the Tuesday meeting.

President Muhammadu Buhari had directed the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, to resolve the ongoing strike by ASUU and other university-based unions.

The Federal Government had set up the Briggs-led committee to renegotiate the 2009 Agreement between the government and the university-based unions made up of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).

ASUU commenced the ongoing strike on February 14, 2022, following the Federal Government’s failure to meet some of its demands that include the release of revitalisation funds for universities, renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, release of earned allowances for university lecturers, and deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).

The striking lecturers salaries have been stopped by the government following its ‘no work no pay’ policy.