Rising from a closed-door meeting at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja on Monday, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila and the National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, expressed hope that lecturers at public universities in the country will return to class soon.
The Speaker , who had earlier met with ASUU leaders a few days ago, briefed them about the meetings held with President Muhammadu Buhari with regard to the nine-month-old strike.
Gbajabiamila said President Buhari had agreed to some demands of the lecturers after having two meetings with the principal officers of the House of Representatives.
‘That meeting was even better than the first one we had with him, and Mr President had agreed to settle things. I am not going to talk about that now, and that he would disclose whatever it is on Tuesday which is tomorrow’ the Speaker told journalists on Monday.
University lecturers in the country had stayed away from class since February 14, after accusing the federal government of failing to meet some of their demands including, the release of revitalization funds for universities, renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, release of earned allowances and the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution .
The Federal Government had through the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige taken steps aimed at stifling the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, last week Tuesday by giving the Congress of Nigerian University Academics and the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics ‘official recognition’
Team@orientactualmags.com learned Osodeke, who thanked Gbajabiamila for intervening and commended him for the steps taken so far, however hit out at the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige as he blamed them for handling union matters badly.
‘We thank you for intervening and we hope this will be the last one but in the future we should not allow strike to linger , it should not be allowed to linger, strike should not go beyond two days with the way the National Assembly had intervened if people had done exactly this way long ago and if people in charge of labour and education ministries had done this way we would not be where we are we would not have stayed more than two days.
Strike gets recorded all over the world be it United Kingdom and United States but they don’t allow it to linger , thank you so much and we hope in the next few days working together we would put an end to this imbroglio’ he said-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980. Thank you
