Virtually all the nation’s public universities have been shut academically due to the on-going industrial strike embarked by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Monday, Match 23, 2020.
The traditional custodians are contacting parents, religious leaders, the affected teachers and government officials in their domain urging them to suggest viable solutions to the present crisis.
Those in the frontline of the peace moves, according to BusinessDay investigations include, Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, Emir of Bauchi, Suleima Adamu, Alaafin Of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi and Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu.
Others are: The Obi of Onitsha, Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, Attah Igalaland, Ameh Oboni and other prominent traditional rulers across the six geo-political zones.
Read also: Royal fathers wade into ASUU strikes
The traditional rulers, our correspondent gathered have created a forum through which they intend to preach peace between the government and the teachers.
Also, education ministry sources confirmed to BusinessDay that meeting between the minister, Adamu Adamu, the concerned traditional rulers and teachers from the nation’s public universities have been scheduled to hold on May 4, 2020.
Although, the meeting venue have not been fixed due to the present lockdown in virtually most of the states and Abuja, as a result of CONVID-19 pandemic, but competent ministry sources confirmed that to attend the “Caucus” along with the traditional rulers and education minister is ASUU President and secretary respectively.
It would be recalled that the union had disagreed with the government especially on the implementation of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS), which ASUU had maintained was an imposition on the union and vowed to resist it.
While the University Transparency and Accountability System (UTAS), proposed by ASUU as alternative to the IPPIS was rejected by the government.
As at press time, several calls made to phone lines of ASUU President, Biodun Ogunyemi, for confirmation of the proposed peace meeting wasn’t through as his phones reported to be put off.
