By O.V Collins
The Federal Government has resumed talks with representatives of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), ACJ_UNIBEN reports.
ACJ_UNIBEN gathered last week that the Prof Nimi Briggs committee set up by the government to renegotiate the 2009 agreement was expected to end its three months’ timelines given on June 7, 2022. However, investigations revealed that the committee would meet Academic Staff Union of Universities on Monday (today) while the Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and allied institutions would have their meeting with the committee on Friday.
“We are meeting the FG committee in Abuja on Monday,” a source in ASUU said. The union’s National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, in an interview, with THE PUNCH, verified by ACJ_UNIBEN also confirmed that meetings would resume this week.
“We are resuming the meeting this week and we have an invitation this week. The renegotiation meeting will only end if we have called off the strike.
“Since the strike is still on, the meeting cannot end. We do not have any problem with the committee. When we do, we will communicate with the committee,” Mr Osodeke said.
Similarly, the Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Allied Institutions’ National President, Mr Ibrahim Mohammed, told Newsmen that SSANU’s meeting would be on Friday.
“Yes, we are meeting with the FG on Friday,” he said.
SSANU began its strike with a warning strike of two weeks which commenced on the midnight of March 27, 2021, while the extension of another two weeks commenced on April 10, 2022 and it is still ongoing.
ASUU commenced its ongoing strike as a warning strike also on February 14, 2022, after the Federal Government failed to meet some of its demands including, the release of revitalisation funds for universities, renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, release of earned allowances for university lecturers, and deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution. Several weeks of extension has kept the strike running till this point and there is very little hope for an end in sight.
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