BY TEMI OHAKWE, ABUJA – The Federal Government on Tuesday declared it is not prepared to compromise or break the law on the ‘no work, no pay’ policy in its negotiation with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who stated this on Tuesday at a meeting with pro-chancellors, Chairmen of councils, and vice chancellors of universities, among others, said that was one of the major issues on which the government, ASUU and other unions in the university system could not reach an amicable agreement.
Adamu said that he has been deceiving himself on the ASUU strike, stressing that in spite all efforts to get the university lecturers to call off the strike, the union refused to renege on its position and went on to declare an indefinite strike action in August.
The Education Minister further said that the decision by the ASUU leadership that it would no longer negotiate with the government must be resisted, stressing that the government and ASUU have no option but to continue to talk until universities reopen their doors to Nigerian students who are principal victims of the seven months old strike.
The meeting between the Minister of Education and the pro-Chancellors, Chairmen of Councils, and vice chancellors of universities is part of the efforts by the Federal Government to resolve the ongoing strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
In attendance at the meeting were the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyede, Emeritus Professors Peter Okebukola and Nimi Briggs among others.
