By Grace Edema, Deborah Tolu-Kolawole, Damilola Aina, and Daniel Igoni
A meeting of the National Executive Council of the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities started in Abuja on Sunday, The PUNCH reports.
The union is expected to take a final decision on whether to continue its industrial action that entered the 196th day on Monday (today) at the meeting holding at its national headquarters at the University of Abuja.
As of the time of filing this report on Sunday evening, the meeting was still ongoing amidst anxiety that the union may extend the strike based on the outcomes of the meetings of most of its branches held last week.
ASUU had declared the commencement of a strike on Monday, February 14, 2022, at the University of Lagos.
A member of the NEC, who did not want his name in print because he is not the union’s spokesman, told our correspondent in Abuja noted that most local congresses voted for strike extension.
“We expect nothing less. Most of the congresses voted for an indefinite strike. The NEC takes decisions based on the reports from branches,” he said.
Another member said, “I can confidently tell you that the majority of ASUU branches across the country voted for an indefinite strike. Over 90% voted for an indefinite strike. “’
Education ministry kicks
The spokesperson of the Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Goong, in an interview with The PUNCH, explained that the government had taken all possible steps to end the strike.
He said, “As regards the next steps, the government has already inaugurated a committee to harmonise the IPPIS, UTAS, and UP3. This will ensure that the government will pay with only one payment platform that will harmonise all the technical peculiarities.
“If you bring some demands and almost 80% have been attended to, there is no need to drag the strike anymore.
“It is unreasonable for the strike to be lingering seeing as the government has worked towards fulfilling most of the demands.”
NAPTAN wades in
The Public Relations Officer, National Parent-Teacher Association of Nigeria, Dr. Ademola Ekundayo, in an interview with one of our correspondents, alleged that the university teachers were adamant about the strike because most of them work elsewhere.
Ekundayo said, “We have found ourselves in an unfortunate situation and, under normal circumstances, parents should not offer such incentives and help that they rejected, but we discovered that we are at the receiving end and bearing the effect of the problem between FG and ASUU.
“And at the end of the day, ASUU will still collect their salary for the work they didn’t even do. Likewise, the Federal Government has nothing to lose. Their children are in private universities.
About The Author
