FG, ASUU Talks Reconvene Tuesday

By Onyebuchi Ezigbo

The federal government negotiating team will be meeting again with the striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Tuesday.

The meeting, which is a follow-up to an earlier one held last week, will be reporting on the progress made in the implementation of the agreement reached with the union.

The President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, who spoke to THISDAY on telephone Saturday evening, said that the union was in receipt of a notice on the reconvening of the reconciliatory meeting fixed for Tuesday.

When asked to comment on the progress made in negotiations since the declaration of the one month roll-over strike, Osodeke said that nothing has happened.

“We have not heard anything from government since the last meeting. No one has reached out to us, except the notice that we will be reconvening on Tuesday for talks,” he said.

Regarding the statement credited to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, that it will not be expedient for government to embark on wholesome salary review for the university lecturers, the ASUU president said that federal government is not being sincere.

He said that if President Muhammadu Buhari was “able to approve salary increases for the Nigerian Police and primary and secondary school teachers, as well as the Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) for government, then there is no reason why it will be difficult to do same for the lecturers”.

Osodeke also expressed concern over the non-approval of the ASUU’s proposed salary payment platform, University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), accusing government of deliberately frustrating the effort to enthrone best practices in the administration of universities in the country.