The Federal Government has again failed to convince the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to end the ongoing strike.
The meeting, which was held at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, led by the Minister, Senator Chris Ngige, ended in a stalemate.
Speaking at the end of the four-hour meeting, ASUU President, Biodun Ogunyemi, speaking at the end of the marathon meeting, vowed that the union would continue with the ongoing strike unless their demands are met.
He said “we have not suspended the strike, the discussion will continue at a later date. We are going back to our members for further consultation. FG gave us reaction to our proposals but there were still grey areas that we are trying to sort out.”
“Before the strike can be suspended, the most critical area that FG must address is revitalization. It is central to our academic work, unless that area is addressed, our members will still have issues. We are not demanding for N50bn, we are saying that the minimum that FG can release to reactivate revitalization fund is N50bn.”
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Also speaking, the government representative at the meeting, Senator Chris Ngige, lamented that despite “substantial commitment to ASUU demands”, the body was yet to shift grounds. He noted that the federal government would meet the leadership of ASUU again to find a common ground on the pending strike.
“We did not take a long time than we anticipated. We have other commitments but the important thing is that we have made substantial progress. We have reached some agreements in seven areas. Most of the issues have been resolved but ASUU will need to consult its members and come with what they think,” added Ngige.
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