AFTER staying off the universities for about months, students will today know if they are to return to their classrooms, or continue with the compulsory holiday engendered by their teachers’ strike. It was learnt yesterday that the teachers’ umbrella body, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has begun the process of calling off the strike.
The Nigerian Compass reliably gathered that ASUU’s highest decision making organ, National Executive Council (NEC), began a crucial meeting last night to appraise the outcome of Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s intervention in the lecturers’ face-off with the Federal Government over university funding and other sundry issues.
Expectedly, a concrete decision would be taken at the all-night meeting, while a pronouncement would be made public today.
But, ASUU National President, Professor Ukachukwu Awuzie, declined comments on when the council would meet when the Nigerian Compass spoke with him on phone yesterday.
“Though, we have gone beyond the level that we were before, but I cannot say anything until the next NEC meeting of ASUU. NEC will decide the next move by the union and we are in touch with our members,” he said.
According to him, the terms and everything about the agreement would be reviewed by NEC.
The union had called its members out from the classrooms and laboratories on an indefinite nationwide strike on June 22, to demand improved funding of university education, improved infrastructural development, enhanced welfare package for lecturers and the reinstatement of the sacked 44 University of Ilorin lecturers.
Also being demanded was an endorsement of the agreement reached with the Federal Government and autonomy for the system, bedeviled with inadequate facilities, brain drain, acute underfunding, dearth and obsolete laboratory and research equipment, dilapidated structures, classroom congestion and limited admission, among others.
When all attempts by the Federal Government to force the lecturers back to the classrooms failed, the Arewa Consultative Forum intervened by asking the government to open negotiation with the union.
However, the government appointed Oshiomhole, a former labour leader, to re-open negotiation and discuss with the striking lecturers on its behalf.
The negotiation, which had in attendance the Education Minister, Dr Sam Egwu, ASUU team and Deacon Gamaliel Onosode was said to have met several times last week.
The Edo State helmsman was appointed “the special mediator” by President Umaru Yar’Adua after efforts by the Onosode-led team failed to make the striking teachers go back to the classrooms without getting answers to their demands.
At one of the meetings, the mediator said the team had a mandate to find a common ground to proceed so that the dispute could be resolved.
According to Oshiomhole, the question of the lecturers going back to their local councils to talk had been resolved.
The last of such meetings held at Aso Rock Villa at the weekend with Oshiomhole saying that negotiation between the two sides attained a lot of progress. “We are happy to say that the government and ASUU have reached some understanding and ASUU is now expected, as a democratic organisation, to call the meeting of its own NEC to consider the possibility of suspending the strike so that negotiation can commence,” Oshiomhole told reporters on Saturday. Expressing optimism over the early resolution of the crisis, Ukachukwu said that whatever had been looked at during the meetings would be properly presented to the NEC.
He said: “NEC will consider the presentations and we do hope they will take informed decision. It is possible to summon NEC meeting within the next three days, he was quoted to have said last Thursday. Also, expressing optimism over the Oshiomhole-led team, Professor Yomi Akinyeye, ASUU Liaison Officer, yesterday described it as a welcome development as it would lead to the resolution of the crisis.
On when the union will call off the strike, Akinyeye said “it all depends on the NEC’s meeting, billed to take place anytime from now.”

By Kayode Olarewaju
http://www.compassnews.net/Ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29977:ASUU-begins-call-off-process&catid=43:news&Itemid=796

k

Not my fate abeg, and see the spelling self, nna na wa oh

@graciella, babe, i tire oh! a university student says our faith will be decided to day and not our faith. isn't it a pity? and he expects to get a wonderful job! sad!

sorry, i meant and not our fate!

saalma:

@graciella, babe, i tire oh! a university student says our faith[b][/b] will be decided to day and not our faith. isn't it a pity? and he expects to get a wonderful job! sad!

I tire for you self,

Na wah oh, e don enta make u say u no fit get job. By d way, are the best student in English? Everybody make mistake and they are inevitable, SO, wetin be big deal

ANybody whose fate is entirely decided by someone else is surely bound for doom