BREAKING: ASUU STRIKE SUSPENDED

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its industrial action, 3 months after academic activities were grounded in Federal Universities across the country.

This was made known on Thursday evening after the Federal Government, represented by Minister of state and labour, Chris Ngige had a reconciliatory meeting with the Union, represented by its national president, Biodun Ogunyemi.

Mr. Ogunyemi said that the both parties have harmoniously resolved the eight conflicting issues that had prolonged the strike.

On Sunday, November 4, 2018 ASUU began a nationwide strike which left students of Nigeria Federal Universities at home up until today, January 7, 2019.

Some of the demand made by the Union include:

Funding for revitalization of public universities and the issue of Earned Academic Allowances.
The issue of University Staff Schools.
The implementation of the judgment of the National Industrial Court, National Universities Pension Management Company and guidelines for pension matters for professors.
The exemption offered by the government regarding the issue of TSA, which included the issue of grants, endowment funds as well as salary shortfall, which is already being implemented by the government.

Speaking to newsmen at the end of the meeting, Ogunyemi said:

“On Sunday, November 4, 2018, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) resumed its strike action, which was conditionally suspended on 14th September, 2017.

“The action of 2017 was suspended following the signing of a memorandum of action (MoA) in which the federal government of Nigeria (FGN) promised to address the contentious issues within a timeline that was to end in October 2017.
“While announcing the suspension of the nationwide action, however, our union made it categorically clear that ASUU will not hesitate to review its position should government renege on the signed Memorandum of Action.

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“Predictably, Government implemented the MoA in the breach, thereby forcing ASUU to resume the suspended strike action. Comrades and compatriots, as we have always argued, the last thing ASUU members love doing is to cause disruption in smooth intellectual engagements with colleagues, friends and students right on our university

campuses. This has nothing to do with the dubious advertorial of non-disruption of academic calendar by proprietors and administrators of some cash-and-carry universities and other self-styled enemies of ASUU.

“Rather, it is about deep-seated pains members of the Union undergo to prevent strike actions and the equally painful consequences strike situations bring to all who are genuinely averse to the mercantile disposition to university education.

The Union via its official twitter handle also confirmed that lectures across public universities in the country will be commence on Friday, 7 February 2019.