Strike can be called off in two days, not weeks – ASUU tells Buhari
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) says the two-week ultimatum issued by the President to resolve the concerns raised by the union is too much.
The President of the Union, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke stated this in Abuja, stressing it would not take more than two days to address the issues that have plunged the nation’s public university system into a prolonged strike that is currently in its fifth month.
“Two weeks is too long,” he said. “The issue of renegotiation has been completed by both sides. Just come back to us and say ‘we have agreed’ that will not take two days. We were told they spent billions to feed children in school; is that correct, how many children have you seen being fed?
“Nigerians spend not less than N200 billion as school fees paid to Ghanaian universities every year. Government should prioritise education as number one in the country because all of us must pass through school.”
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Hours before Osodeke’s interview, President Muhammadu Buhari met with the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, and relevant members of his cabinet where he received briefings on the current face-off between the government and university unions, including ASUU.
At the meeting, he directed the education minister to proffer a solution to the continued industrial action by the lecturers and report back to him in two weeks.
President Buhari had also instructed the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, as well as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who was also present, to be in attendance in all the meetings to speedily resolve the crisis.
While the ASUU president sees the President’s action as a welcome development, he is of the opinion that giving such a directive is not new.
He believes the government is still unserious with the lingering strike by the university lecturers, stressing that it does not require such a long timeframe to resolve the issues.
Professor Osodeke recalled the intervention of religious leaders in the crisis under the auspices of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) who met with the President over the matter.
Following the meeting in February, he explained that President Buhari set up a three-man committee comprising his Chief of Staff, Ngige, and Adamu, to quickly resolve the issue within one month.
