ASUU UPDATE

THE Federal Government may have
reopened dialogue with the leadership of
the Academic Staff Union of Universities
(ASUU), in a bid to end the over two
months old strike.
This came just as the National Association
of Nigerians Students (NANS) urged both
government and ASUU to return back to
the negotiation table, with each party
willing to shift ground from their
previous positions.
Indications to the new development with
ASUU emerged on Monday, when
journalists were called to cover the
meeting, which was eventually postponed
till next week, with a ministry official
saying this was to allow the supervising
Minister of Education, Mr Nyesom Wike,
get proper briefing on the current
standpoint of the issues involved.
Wike was joined by the Minister of Labour
and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, for
the meeting scheduled for 12 noon at the
Federal Ministry of Education conference
room before it was called off.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that the
resumption of talks followed the exit of
the former Minister of Education,
Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i, who
was dropped last week by President
Goodluck Jonathan alongside eight other
ministers.
The negotiation between the government
and leadership of ASUU broke down over
disagreement on payment of academic
earned allowance to union members.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian students, under
the auspices of NANS, have called on both
the Federal Government and ASUU to
return back to the negotiation table, in
order to resolve their differences in good
faith.
Acting Senate president of NANS, John
Shima, while addressing newsmen in
Abuja, lauded the sack of Professor Rufa’i
and other ministers, as part of the
initiatives of President Jonathan to retool
the government.
“ASUU and Federal Government should go
back to the negotiating table. Even after
wars, issues are resolved at the
roundtable. Nigerian students have been
idle for 78 days.
“Nigerian students are tired of sitting at
home. Both parties are urged to shift
ground to ensure quick resolution of the
crisis.
“We lost almost three years of study time
in the last 10 years due to strikes; the lost
time being enough to graduate a student
in Germany,” Shima said.