FG, ASUU In Closed-Door Meeting

The Federal Government delegation and the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), are in a closed-door meeting to discuss the lingering crisis and avert a strike by the Union.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports the meeting holding on Thursday in the office of the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, commenced at about 4.30 p.m.

The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu and other top officials in the ministry are in the federal government” team

The ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke, who led the union’s delegation told newsmen that the meeting was to deliberate on lingering issues affecting the universities to avert the planned strike actions.

“There are a lot of issues that are outstanding within the system and we believe that before now, they would have been taken care of.

‘The issues would have been resolved in line with the promise made by President Bola Tinubu and there would not be a strike in the university system.

“We hope that this meeting will be able to resolve some of these issues so that we can move forward as a country as well as our university system,” he said.

Earlier, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, said the meeting would provide an opportunity for both parties to rub minds on issues affecting the university system.

Mamman said that ASUU had earlier written to the ministry, detailing several issues and concerns affecting the universities and the union.

He said that the issues required interactions between the union and government officials to avert any strike proposed by the union.

NAN reports that the closed-door meeting is still ongoing as of the time of filing this report.

ASUU had threatened to embark on a nationwide strike over the federal government’s failure to meet its demands.

Osodeke had charged the government to act within two weeks to address all outstanding demands by the union.