FG To Meet Pro-Chancellors, VCs On ASUU Strike

The federal government is to meet pro-chancellors and vice chancellors of federal universities to review the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU).

This is coming one day after ASUU extended its six-month-old strike indefinitely on Monday.

The union extended the industrial action after reviewing progress reports on ongoing negotiations with the federal government.

In a memo addressed to all pro-chancellors and vice-chancellors, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, is expected to brief them on the actions taken so far to ensure that students return to school.

“It has become necessary for the Governing Councils and the Managements of the Universities to be briefed on the decisions and actions taken by the Federal Government so far, to allow for a well-coordinated review of the situation, including building consensus around succeeding actions.” the memo read.

The meeting is slated to hold at the NUC secretariat, Abuja on September 6.

Last week, Adamu said the government had addressed most of the union’s demands including the release of N50 billion for the payment of earned allowances for academic and non-academic staff of universities, but this did not seem to satisfy the union.

ASUU had declared a four-week warning strike on February 14th, 2022. But after a month, the lecturers extended it by eight weeks, saying the government needed more time to look at its demands.

Following the inability to reach a resolution with the government, the union, on May 9 further extended the strike by 12 weeks.

The university teachers are seeking improved welfare, the revitalisation of public universities, and academic autonomy among others.

Since the industrial dispute, several groups and individuals have waded into the matter.

The latest is human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, who asked the federal government to sign the renegotiated agreement with the striking workers.