ASUU Strike Update: ASUU May End Strike Next Week

Hope of an early resolution of the strike
embarked on by the public universities'
lecturers rises as the Vice-President Namadi
Sambo met with the leadership of the
Academic Staff Union of Universities in Abuja
on Thursday.
The meeting held behind closed doors had in
attendance the supervising Minister of
Education, Nyesom Wike and the Executive
Secretary of National Universities
Commission, Prof. Julius Okojie.
The union was led by its National President,
Dr. Nasir Faggae, and two former Presidents
of ASUU; Dr. Dipo Fasina and Dr. Abdullahi
Sule-Kano. Others at the meeting were the
Vice- Chancellors of Bayero University Kano,
Prof. Abdulrasheed Abubakar; Prof. Isaac
Adewole of the University of Ibadan; and
Prof. Muhammed Hamisu of the Abubakar
Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi.
It was however uncertain if yesterday's
discussion was fruitful as the two parties did
not disclose the outcome of the meeting
which lasted for two hours to journalists.
Fagge, however, told State House
Correspondents that the union would make its
position known after the National Executive
Council meeting.
Wike assured Nigerians that students would
soon return to school as government was
ready to make sure all the contending issues
were resolved as soon as possible.
But a source at the meeting, who pleaded
anonymity, however, told one of our
correspondents that going by the new offers
made by the Federal Government, the strike
might be called off within the next two weeks.
This, the source said, was because the Federal
Government had agreed to inject fund to
revitalize the university system.
"The meeting went well, the vice-president
made some new offers that were different
from what was on ground before. For
instance, the Federal Government had agreed
to start the injection of revitalisation fund
into the university system starting with
N100bn this year and N150bn in 2014 and
this will continue until the university system
is solid enough to stand.
The source, however, said that the ASUU team
promised the vice- president that the union
would make it decision on the strike known
after its NEC meeting unconfirmed source said
had been scheduled for Saturday.