Proposed Strike: FG, ASUU in Closed-door Meeting in Abuja

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

Representatives of the federal government led by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, and the officials of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) led by ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodoke, have entered into a closed-door meeting in Abuja.

The meeting which is taking place at the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Education was in response to the recent 21-day strike notice by the union for government to address some of the issues raised by the union.

The meeting was supposed to be held on Monday but was shifted to Wednesday for some undisclosed reasons.

ASUU, a few days ago, issued a 21-day notice of strike to the federal government over several unresolved issues, notably, emergency revitalisation fund of public universities; payment of outstanding earned academic allowances; and release of withheld salaries, promotion arrears, and third-party deductions of our members.

The other issues include the stoppage of illegal recruitments; proliferation of public universities/abuse of universities’ laws, regulations and processes; and removal of universities from the treasury single account and new IPPIS vis-a-vis to herald the autonomy of our universities.

Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, told journalists at a press conference to mark one year in Abuja, last Friday, that letters of invitation have been sent to the ASUU officials and several other organizations that would be relevant in the meeting.

He said: “Most of the issues raised by ASUU are being attended to. For instance, the issue of exit from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) has since been resolved by the President. Bureaucracy is the reason for the delay in the implementation of that directive. But by the time we meet on Monday, some of these issues will be discussed and resolved.”

He insisted that the President, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, is committed to academic stability in the schools, and would not hold back any support that would ensure that the era of academic disruption in the tertiary institutions is over.

He added: “Most of the demands ASUU started in 1981. And the government has had its fair share of ASUU strikes. But the President made a commitment during the campaign that permanent solution would be provided this time, and he has shown that in his steps and actions.”

He, thus appealed to ASUU to be considerate in their actions and open-minded in their approach to the negotiation table so that the interest of all parties would be properly represented.