The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been urged to be flexible in the union’s negotiation with the federal government when the two parties meet this week to find a solution to the ongoing strike.
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) made the call on Saturday, May 7 during a news conference held at the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) press centre in Osogbo.
According to Oyelayo Oyewole, the chairman of NANS Osun State chapter, “The 11-week old strike by ASUU is a pointer that education is less important to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.”
Furthermore, Oyewole disclosed that the association would want ASUU to be flexible in agitating for its rights.
Read also: ASUU strike: Nigerian students threaten to stop presidential primaries
“We charge the ASUU leaders to employ and adopt flexibility during the cause of negotiation, as excessive rigidity may cause the process to reach yet another dead-end.
“We call on all students association leaders to shun polarization of genuine struggle and embrace the unity of genuine purpose in a bid to channel the necessary energy towards putting an end to the incessant ASUU strike,” NANS leader said.
Chris Ngige, the minister of labour and employment had earlier in a statement disclosed that FG and ASUU would resume negotiation on the impasse with a view to ending the prolonged clamp down on public universities in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, reports have it President Buhari has approved the sum of 456 Billion for ASUU to end the strike. According to a Metro Daily report each institution is to receive N4.6billion to finalise the 2009 agreement.
However, when BusinessDay contacted some of the ASUU leaders to confirm the authenticity of the report, the lecturers denied being aware of the financial release from FG.
Kayode Eesuola, a senior lecturer at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) said it is still all speculations.
“It is a speculation that is rather not what is on the front-burner. What is on the front-burner now is the resumption of negotiation with the FG.
“ASUU is a well-orgainsed union that cannot be compromised anyhow, and if there is any such development the leaders will definitely communicate to others,” he noted.
In the same vein, Dele Ashiru, the chairman of ASUU, UNILAG chapter said he is not aware of any financial release from the president towards ending the strike.
Ifeanyi Abada, a senior lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in Enugu State similarly told Businessday that he could not confirm that as there was no circular to that effect from the union.
ASUU has been on industrial action since February 14 when the union declared a 30 – day warning strike to give the FG room to address the lecturers’ demands.
The union has reiterated that it will not call off the strike until the FG agrees to jettison the Integrated Personnel and Payment System (IPPIS) for the Universities Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS).
Besides, the union wants the FG to fulfil the MoU in the 2009 agreement as reached by both parties.
