Strike May Continue; As ASUU, Senate Meeting Ends In Stalemate

 

There was no final agreement reached on Monday between the Senate and the Academic Staff Union of Universities as both bodies ended their meeting in a stalemate.

The meeting, which lasted for eight hours, was then adjourned indefinitely.

Thereafter, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Education and TETFund Jibrin Barau told reporters that both parties did resolve all issues but one.

According to him, the one yet to be resolved borders on payment of arrears.

In his words, “You can see that we’ve been talking for about eight hours. Thanks to God, we have resolved all the issues. We have agreed on all issues except one. We have adjourned to make consultations.

“Every section [stakeholder] in this meeting will go back to their base or constituency and report what transpired [at the meeting] and at a later date reconvene to trash out the remaining issue. We have resolved all the issues but it remains one.”

Senate hopeful of positive outcome

When journalists pressed to know what the issue was, payment of arrears owed lecturers was his reply. He however, expressed hope that the lecturers would return with a favourable response.

“It is about the earned allowances that need to be paid to the university lecturers. The government, due to paucity of fund, proposed a certain amount of money but ASUU thought otherwise; that the money was quite inadequate.

”The union said it was going back to its members, make consultations and get back to us. We do hope they will come back with good news.”

When is the next meeting?

“It will be after due consultations. We will report back to you. We will tell you [about] when next we will meet.”

But the leadership of ASUU refused to comment on the meeting as its members declined to speak to journalists.

The Senate had last Wednesday failed to stop ASUU from continuing with its ongoing one-week warning strike, which ends today.

The first meeting also had in attendance senators and officials of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

But the Minister of Education Adamu Adamu was not at the meeting. He was represented by the Minister of State for Education, Anthony Anwuka.