PARENTS and students in public universities who have been at home for six months following the ongoing strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, are keeping their ears wide open to hear the outcome of Tuesday’s meeting between the union and the federal government team which held at a secret location in Abuja.
The meeting is expected to put an end to the incessant strike affecting public universities as well as reposition universities in Nigeria.
ASUU National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, giving hint on the meeting earlier, on Tuesday, had promised that his union would call off the strike if certain demands were met.
He said already the renegotiation committee had reached an agreement with the government to adopt the UTAS as the payment platform of lecturers and suspend the strike.
Osodeke said ASUU would suspend the strike if the federal government agrees to its demands at the meeting.
“We have not had any serious communication though they have invited us for a meeting on one issue on Tuesday, which is the issue of renegotiation. You know that there are seven issues why we are on strike. They are inviting us for discussion on the issue of renegotiation.”
However, even if the union and the government are able to reach an accord at the meeting, unless the national leadership of ASUU calls for an emergency National Executive Council, NEC, meeting, the strike might still drag till the end of August.
At its last NEC meeting in Abuja, the union extended its strike by four weeks for a possible review and that terminates on August 29. It is only the NEC of the union that can call for a strike or suspend same.
