The Academic Staff Union of Universities is to hold its National Executive Council meeting in the first week of August 2022 and top on the table will be a decision on whether to suspend or continue with the nationwide strike which enters its 155th day today.
The chairman of ASUU, Federal University of Technology, Minna chapter, Dr. Gbolahan Bolarin, confirmed the planned meeting to our correspondent of The PUNCH on Monday.
This is coming on the heels of a two weeks ultimatum to the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu by President Mohammadu Buhari to put the strike to an end.
Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, directed the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, to resolve the five-month strike ASUU and three other university labour unions within two weeks.
Buhari issued the ultimatum after he was briefed by the government’s Ministries, Agencies and Departments who are still negotiating a way out between the Federal Government and the labour unions.
After Tuesday’s briefing from the relevant MDAs, the President directed the education minister to resolve every stalemate with ASUU within two weeks and report back to him.
Bolarin said the meeting would be held either on July 30 or August 1, 2022.
ASUU had cautioned the government against the proliferation of tertiary institutions and the failure to approve the deployment of the Universities Transparency Accountability System.
The union had also insisted on the release of the White Paper of the visitation panels to universities and the release of revitalisation funds for the development of universities, among others.
Ahead of the NEC meeting, however, Bolarin ruled out the possibility of suspending the strike.
According to him, the government has not brought anything to the table that can lead to such decision.
“We are not even at a point to vote on continuation or not because there is nothing from the Federal Government yet.
“The NEC will be holding its meeting early next month (August). That should be August 1. The meeting might even be on July 30,” he said.
ASUU on Monday, February 14, 2022, embarked on industrial action over what the union described as the failure of the government to address some of its demands.
