A meeting between the Government by led by President Muhammadu Buhari and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) fixed to hold today (Wednesday) over the ASUU strike has been postponed.
The postponement of the meeting to resolve the lingering ASUU strike was announced in a message made available to newsmen on Wednesday by Charles Akpan, Deputy Director, Ministry of Labour and Employment.
He said, “The Meeting between ASUU and the Federal Government earlier scheduled for today (Wednesday) by 3pm has been postponed. Thank you for your understanding.”
ASUU had been on strike for about 10 months now over the nonpayment of Earned Academic Allowances, non provision of revitalisation fund among others.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, recently claimed that the Federal Government had fulfilled most of its promises to the union including accepting to make available N70 billion for Earned Allowances which included three other University-based unions and the revitalisation fund.
NANS vows to shut down private universities if ASUU fails to call off strike
The newly elected President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Sunday Asefon, has vowed that the students’ body would shut down all private universities in the country, if the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), fails to call off the nine-months strike embarked on by its members.
Asefon who bared his mind on the lingering empasse between the Federal Government and ASUU on the way forward, on Wednesday, December 9, said the prolonged industrial action embarked on by the university lecturers had taken a toll on Nigerian students and their parents and if they fail to call off the strike, then NANS would be forced to shut down private universities in the country.
He added that most of the striking lecturers have been engaged by the private universities and do not care about the students in government universities, hence the prolonged strike because they have other sources of income.
According to the NANS President, he and his executive members would engage the representatives of the government representatives and the leaders of ASUU to find a lasting solution to resolve the stalemate in negotiations between the two arms.
Asefon concluded by saying that after the consultations with the two parties and the lecturers still refuse to call off the strike, then “NANS would move in and shut down all tertiary institutions in the country.”
