Senate, ASUU, FG Meeting on Strike Issues Deadlocked
The
negotiations among the Senate, the Federal government and the
leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, over the
ongoing industrial action embarked by universities lecturers ended
without parties reaching any compromise.
The
meeting which was at the instance of the chairman, Senate Committee on
Education, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, PDP Abia North, was called to
pacify the striking lecturers with a bid to finding a common ground.
However, a source at the meeting revealed that all efforts to push for a
call off of the strike proved abortive as members of ASUU stood their
grounds.
The
source also said that for well over seven hours, Chukwumerije was
literarily on his kneels pleading with
the lecturers to consider the
plights of the students and call off the strike, but ASUU members
refused to shift ground.The meeting had in attendance, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Minister of Education, Professor Ruquayyatu Rufai; Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, NUC, Professor Julius Okojie and members of the Senate Committee on Education, among others.