ASUU Chairman, University of Lagos
Chapter, Dr. Karo Ogbinaka told Channels
Television that the union decided to
suspend the strike after a marathon meeting
held in Minna, Niger State capital on
Monday.
In attendance at the meeting, which ran till
late in the evening, were all the ASUU
branch chairmen and secretaries, the
national executive members of the body,
coordinators and past leaders, including 56
members from 52 universities.
Dr. Ogbinaka said that, in line with
procedures, the different chapters of ASUU
would hold congress meetings on
Wednesday to inform members and
managements of the institutions of the latest
development.
“We expect the students to resume and
expect their members to go back to class
immediately after the congress meeting and
we expect the government to keep to the
terms of the Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU),” Dr. Ogninaka stated.
He said that the union and the government
would hold meetings in 2014 to look at gray
areas that may arise and come to a common
ground.
The Federal Government and ASUU had
reached a compromise during a negotiation
brokered by the President of the Nigerian
Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade
Abdulwaheed Omar on Wednesday,
December 11, which led to the signing of the
MoU.
Speaking to journalists after the agreement
with the government on Wednesday, the
National President of ASUU, Dr. Nasir Isa
Fagge, said that the union would consult
with its National Executive Council and
would intimate Nigerians of its decision on
the strike within one week, expressing
optimism that the outcome of the
consultation would be positive.
It was gathered that the MoU addressed all
the resolutions that the leadership of the
ASUU and the Federal Government agreed
to in their 13-hour meeting with President
Jonathan on November 4, as well as their
widely criticised fresh demands.
ASUU’s demands
ASUU’s demands include the upward
review of the retirement age for professors
from 65 to 70; adequate funding to
revitalise the university system; progressive
increase of budgetary allocations to the
education sector by 26%; transfer of
Federal Government property to
universities; setting up of research and
development units by the companies; and
renegotiation of the signed agreement.
The fresh demands include a non-
victimisation clause, provision and deposit
of N200 billion infrastructure revitalisation
funds in an account with the Central Bank
of Nigeria (CBN) details of disbursement of
the funds and payment of salary arrears
which has accrued to the teachers during the
strike.
The Wednesday agreement between the two
which is reportedly due for renegotiation in
2014 was reached barely 24 hours after the
Special Assistant to the President on Public
Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe presented a proof
of payment of N200 billion into an account
with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Nigeria’s university lecturers have been on
strike since July 1, 2013 to demand full
implementation of the 2009 agreement it
reached with the Federal Government on
conditions of service for university
lecturers, and funding of infrastructural
development in Nigerian universities.

http://www.channelstv.com/home/2013/12/17/ASUU-suspends-strike-after-5-months/

thank God