“ASUU strike will end this year, varsities to resume January” – FG assures
The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced that it has met over 98% of the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
According to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, it remains about 2% demands to be agreed on and the result will be announced on Wednesday.
“We have met about 98 per cent of the request of ASUU the remaining two per cent is what you can call promissory notes. So, I am very hopeful that by midnight of Monday, there are some works we are supposed to get on to do. They also have some work they are supposed to do on their own side with their people.
“We will be meeting in the afternoon of Tuesday to compare notes. I believe that we might have come to the end of the strike after the meeting. It is a journey of a thousand miles which you will have to take one step first.
Tomorrow, all things being equal, we will agree because we were disagreeing before. We disagree to agree and agree to disagree formerly. But tomorrow, I hope we will agree to agree. Once we do that, schools will open in January,” Ngige said.
ASUU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, in an interview on Monday, said the union would conclude make its decision known on Wednesday.
“I will address that matter on Wednesday. There is nothing I can say now. We are concluding our consultation by tomorrow (Tuesday). I have been telling all journalists that I won’t say anything until Wednesday. Whatever he (Ngige) says I’m not saying anything. We are reviewing the situation,” He stated.
In a recent post by the union on Twitter, ASUU confirmed the suspension of the strike.
“#Good_News: Strike to be suspended as FG begin payment of withheld salaries of striking lecturers. #ASUU,” it wrote.
FG, ASUU meet today as Ngige confident varsities resume January.
He said the Federal Government had met 98 per cent of the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, adding that the remaining two per cent demands holding the strike would be sorted
— Official__ASUU (@ASUUNNGR) December 22, 2020
