ASUU Leaders Divided On Whether To Call-off Strike

By Baron Ike
Leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) are confused and divided as to whether to call-off the strike action which they began last week or not.
The division is on the basis of South and North a the members gather in Abuja to take a decision of the weeklong work to rule.
However, the ASUU will on Friday, August 25 hold a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting to determine the direction of the ongoing national strike, particularly whether to end it or continue with it.
A meeting of all national branches of ASUU had earlier met on Wednesday, August 23 to decide on whether the strike should continue or not.
After the Wednesday, meeting, all branch chairmen converged in Abuja on Thursday, August 24 in readiness for the expanded meeting where final decision would be taken tomorrow on the strike.
ASUU leaders are expected to rise from the meeting on Saturday, August 26 after which a decision will be communicated to Nigerians.
ASUU President, Biodun Ogunyemi, said he would only speak after the meeting had been held.
“We cannot react now but after the NEC meeting we will speak on the developments,” he told PREMIUM TIMES on phone.
However, Armadanews.com learnt that some members of the group sympathetic to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) government are pushing for the strike to be put off while negotiation with government continues while others insist the lectures demands must be met before they end the action inn order not to boss themselves to a corner.
Education Minister, Adamu Adamu said recently that government was disposed towards meeting the demands of the lecturers, but he added that the universities have failed to do certain things like preparing forensic accounts of earlier monies given to them.
Labour and Employment Minister, Chris Ngige insisted that ASUU failed to give them adequate notice for the strike against the specified rules. ASUU denied the claim, though.