Strike: FG, ASUU set to reconvene September 6 as sub-committee reviews demands

The meeting between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) concluded with plans to reconvene on September 6.

Following the closed-door session, which lasted over two hours on Wednesday in Abuja, Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, announced that a sub-committee has been established to review ASUU’s demands and work towards finding lasting solutions.

ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, expressed optimism that all outstanding issues would be resolved before the next scheduled meeting.

“We have met to discuss all the issues and review them. We have given government between now and the next meeting to see what they have done.

“We believe in the interest of the Nigerian child and to protect their interest if the issues were resolved,” he said.According to both parties, the decision on if institutions would be shut down or not would be made during the next meeting.

However, the 21-day strike notice issued by the union will elapse few days after the meeting.

Earlier today, the minister said: “For us in the ministry, we will continue from where we stopped from our earlier meeting and find ways to progress.

“We share with you the desire to have stability in the education system. The federal government will continue to do what is right to have good education.

“We want to ensure that our students remain in campus and the government is committed to give the university system the best it deserves.”

He, however, constituted an implementation monitoring committee of NEEDS Assessment intervention fund for Nigerian public universities to address one of the concerns of ASUU.

Some of the union’ demands are the release of revitalisation funds for universities, renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, and release of earned allowances for university lecturers.

Others are deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).