The Federal Government and the
Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU) will today
conclude talks on the ongoing
nationwide strike by the union
as the negotiation between the
two team was inconclusive
yesterday in Abuja .
The Secretary to the
Government of the Federation
(SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Ayim,
had led the Federal Government
delegation while the ASUU team
was led by its President, Prof
Ugochukwu Awuzie.
Speaking to journalists after
over three hours of negotiation,
Awuzie said, “We have had
deliberations, you know those of
you who were here earlier will
know that we have been here
for more than three hours. We
have looked at the issues. We
have made some progress. We
are likely to continue very early
tomorrow morning where we will
finish. When we finish, we will
make a statement.
When asked whether the strike
would be called off, the ASUU
boss said that “It is not over but
the issue will be resolved very
soon”.
Awuzie further expressed
satisfaction over the level of
Federal Government’s
commitment to the contending
issues saying that, “If we fought
there, you won’t see us smiling.
All of us are patriots. We are
talking about one thing: the
good of the education sector in
Nigeria. There are no adversaries
in this matter. There are no
winners. There are no losers.
That is why we should work
together.”
Reacting to a report quoting her
as saying that the strike would
be resolved yesterday, the
Minister of Education, Prof.
Ruqayyatu Rufai, said “I did not
promise that the demand will be
met today (yesterday). What I
said is that it is our hope and
desire that based on what we
are doing so far, the strike will
be called off. And we have made
progress. Of course, we are still
meeting. Even tomorrow at 10am
we have another meeting with
ASUU. So, we are making
progress.”
In his own comment , Minister of
Labour and Productivity, Chief
Emeka Wogu, expressed the
hope that after the resolution
of the issue, there would be a
lasting industrial peace in the
sector
He said, “We have made progress
and everything will continue
tomorrow (today). We believe
that at the end of full
discussions on this strike, we will
come to a conclusion that will be
more lasting than the previous
ones.”

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