ASUU Strike: Resumption Not In Sight As Minister ‘Obeys’ Buhari’s Instruction

The Federal Government has reiterated that with regards to the ongoing ASUU strike, it will not repeat the mistakes of past governments and sign any agreement it will be unable to implement.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, said this at the National Universities Commission (NUC) headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday before entering into a closed-door meeting with Pro-Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors of Federal Universities.

The Minister said in all Federal Government’s negotiations with unions of tertiary institutions unions, it has avoided setting unrealistic goals for itself and the unions.

This, Adamu said, was in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive that the government should not enter into an agreement it can’t fulfill.

“In all, we have been doing, our guide has been the directive of Mr. President Muhammadu Buhari, namely, that while the unions should be persuaded to return to work, Government should not repeat the past mistakes of accepting to sign an agreement it will be unable to implement. Government should not, in the guise of resolving current challenges, sow seeds for future disruptions,” he said.

Adamu added that he has personally put his best foot forward in putting an end to the strike, explaining that he has met with the unions and their representatives as many by times as possible and in several different locations.

“We have done the best that we can in the circumstance. After Inter-ministerial consultations and rounds of hard negotiations with all government agencies, we interacted with the Unions. I personally, gave it all it required to resolve the current challenges. I met the Unions anywhere and everywhere possible with facts, with figures, and with absolute sincerity. For example, I directly met with ASUU leadership in my house, in my office, and at the ASUU Secretariat on several different occasions, in addition to other formal engagements going on,” he said.

The minister specified that the main challenge facing the government is the lack of resources to cater to all the sectors in need.

“The main challenge, as you are fully aware, is dwindling resources available to address all the concerns of the citizenry. We thank you for your support, understanding and sacrifices,” he said.

ASUU has been on strike since February 14th of 2022 to press home its numerous demands to the Federal Government which include payment of earned allowances and salaries for lecturers, improved funding and maintenance for tertiary institutions, the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability system (UTAS) for salary payment instead of the government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), the renegotiation of the ASUU FG 2009 agreement, among others.