Strike continues as FG, ASUU negotiation deadlock
By In confirmation of BusinessDay earlier reports the ongoing meeting between Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was deadlock.
Speaking at the end of the meeting, Biodun Ogunyemi, ASUU President discloser that the parties resumed discussion but adjourned till later date.
He however declined to give specific date for resumed negotiation.
“There’s no problem,” he said but when asked about the details of the 3 hours negotiation, Ogunyemi said: “Our meeting will continue at a letter date. We will continue from where we stopped.”
When asked whether there was any progress made so far, the ASUU President said: “We have started the discussion and the discussion will continue at a letter date. That’s all I can say for now.”
But when asked ‘how soon?’, Ogunyemi who was flanked by former ASUU Presidents: Nasir Faggae and Dipo Fashina said: “You will get to know about that.”
Our Correspondent reported that key negotiators on labour and industrial natters, Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment was absent at the meeting.
Officials of the Ministry who confided in our Correspondent, observed that the Minister lacks the capacity to make any commitment on financial matters being demanded by the striking lecturers.
BusinessDay also observed that the chairman of the Federal Government’s negotiation team, Wale Babalakin was also not in attendance.
In a related development, Aminu Suleiman, chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Tertiary Education Services during an oversight visit to the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu expressed deep concern over the continued strike by the Union.
He also expressed the need for both parties to go beyond resolving the current strike to provide lasting solutions that will make strikes in the education sector a thing of the past.
He urged the Federal Government and ASUU to expeditiously conclude the ongoing negotiations in order to bring back Nigerian students back to their campuses and classes.
According to a statement issued by Ben Goong, Deputy Director (Information) in the Federal Ministry of Education, quoted the Minister of expressing desire to “confine the strikes in education sector to the dustbin of history, adding however that funding remains the greatest obstacle.”
Also the Minister at a workshop on sustainable funding for education in Nigeria coming up on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa is expected to proffer lasting solutions to sustainable funding for the sector.
KEHINDE AKINTOLA, Abuja