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.” There was a broadcast of this interview on the 9 pm network news yesterday.
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.”
