Victor Ezeja
The 8-month-old strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) may end very soon says the union’s National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke.
Prof. Osodeke stated this at a meeting with the leadership of the House of Representatives on Monday in Abuja.
Following what the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige described as a “failed negotiation,” between the federal government and ASUU, the House of Representatives leadership some weeks ago, waded into the matter with a view to resolving the lingering strike
Subsequently, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, had different meetings with the academic body to resolve the impasse.
Last week, the Speaker led a delegation of lawmakers to the Presidential Villa where he met with President Muhammadu Buhari to submit the report of the meeting with ASUU.
Speaking about the Monday meeting with House Representatives leadership, ASUU president said that from what the union had seen at the meeting “there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“This time around it is hoped that there would not be any persons or group to create issues that would make the union run into any hitch,” he said.
He further hoped that the intervention by the leadership of the House would be the final for the sake of the students, adding that ASUU’s struggle was for the educational and university system in the country.
“We hope that in the next few days, we will put an end to this strike.
“We want to have a system where the remuneration is enough to attract lecturers all over the World to our universities,” Osodeke said.
He said that Nigerian universities should also be paid in hard currencies for attracting foreign students while expressing worry over some good lecturers that were leaving the country.
“We are the giant of Africa and we must live by that.
“We thank the speaker for this intervention and we must work together so that every Nigerian will be proud of the universities we have,” he further said.
He said that the strike should not have gone beyond two weeks, “if the National Assembly had intervened before now”.
The Speaker of the House of Reps, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, said that the intervention by the leadership of the House was fruitful.
Gbajabiamila also said that the meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari was far-reaching.
He said that the president’s decision would be made known to the union and the public on Oct. 11.
READ ALSO: ASUU Strike: UNN, UNILAG, UNICAL, 11 Others Get N230.9 billion In 2023 Budget
He said that the leadership of the House was able to ensure that all the demands of ASUU in term of revitalisation and salaries, among others, had been provided for in the 2023 budget.
The speaker disclosed that N470 billion had been included in the 2023 budget to accommodate ASUU’s demand.
“The issue of UTAs has been resolved as both the government and ASUU have agreed and both will sit to agree to include all the peculiarities required by ASUU on the IPPIS payment platform.
“I believe we have covered ground, and it’s basically what we have agreed on.
“ASUU would have called off the strike today and hopefully in the next couple of days.
“We thank ASUU for responding at every moment we have called them.
“We met in my office and it was positive. We did this for the sake of our students,” he said.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
