There have been indications that after
Monday’s meeting between President
Goodluck Jonathan and the Academic
Staff Union of Universities (ASUU),
the four month strike of the lecturers
may finally end. As of 12.30 am
(Tuesday), the meeting was still ongoing.
The FG is reported to be desperate to
work out an agreement with ASUU.
A closed-door meeting has started on
Monday at 2:40 pm inside the First Lady
Conference Room, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The parties are still negotiating, as of 12:30
am (Tuesday).
Indications that the strike which is now into
its 5th month may be resolved have emerged
when the President stated, while shaking
hands with ASUU Chairman Dr. Nasir
Isa Fagge:
“My president, I hope it will end today. Our
children have suffered enough. We must
find a solution.”
All those in attendance responded with a
loud “amen.”
When greeting the NLC President,
Abdulwahab Omar, Jonathan said:
“My president with you around today, there
will be no problem, our agreement is signed,
sealed and delivered.”
This is the first meeting between the
lecturers and Jonathan since the beginning
of the strike. The Presidency took over
negotiations with the striking lecturers
September 19, with the Vice-President
Namadi Sambo spearheading the FG side.
The lecturers were seen meeting among
themselves in their bus during the break that
has started at 6.30 pm. When State House
correspondents tried to talk to the
lecturers, some of them replied that they
would return to continue their discussions
with the President. No details of there
discussion have been yet made known.
Apart from Fagge and Jonathan, the meeting
has in attendance the President, Vice
President, Namadi Sambo; Minister of
Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala;
Secretary to the Government of the
Federation, Pius Anyim; Supervising Minister
of Education, Nyesom Wike; and Minister of
Labour, Emeka Wogu among others.
The ASUU is presented by Prof. Abdulahi
Sule-Kano, Prof. Dipo Fashina and Prof.
Festus Iyayi, Prof. Suleiman Abdul, and Prof.
Abdullahi Sule-Kano. President of the
Nigeria Labour Congress, Abdulawahid Omar
and that of the Trade Union Congress,
Bobboi Kaigama, are also there.
Preparatory to the meeting, Senate
President, David Mark met with the
leadership of ASUU at the National
Assembly. He regretted that the strike had
lingered for the past five months, and called
for a win-win resolution to the industrial
action. He then led the Union’s
representatives to the Presidential Villa
after the meeting.
The 2009 agreement
ASUU has embarked upon an indefinite
strike July 1, 2013. The lecturers protest
against an alleged FG’s failure to honor an
agreement signed between the FG and ASUU
in 2009.
Part of the agreement dwelt on funding of
universities where both parties agreed that
each federal university should get at least
N1.5 trillion between 2009 and 2011 while
state universities, within the same period,
should receive N3.6 million per student.
The agreement was signed by Bolanle
Babalakin, the then chairman of Committee
of Pro-Chancellors of Federal Universities;
Gamaliel Onosode, chairman of the re-
negotiation committee; and Ukachukwu
Awuzei, the then president of ASUU.
It is still unclear, however, how much of the
agreement have been met by the FG. The
secretary to the federation, Pius Anyim, has
recently stated that most of the issues
contained in the 2009 document had been
fully met except for the earned allowances
estimated at N92 billion.
We will keep you updated…





www.informationng.com/2013/11/breaking-ASUU-strike-will-end-today-jonathan-updated.html

mstchewww

na so una talk am....... The union has nt meet with the members oh...... Even de union chairman has nt make any comment. I will be happy if they call off the strike...... Bt my fear is the union members.... Na they go decide whether to call off or nt.......

i beg o..house don taya mi o! Infact i don taya for house sef...

Thought there was going to be some thing new. This is the same old report yesterday, there is nothing substantial here, u'av told us nothing.....i

Na today? abeg i dey come my boss dey call me

God take charge over dis ASUU strike