The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will be meeting with the Federal government today, Tuesday 16 August 2022, this coming as the ASUU strike enters day 183.
Newsonline reports that the meeting is coming on the heel of failed negotiations and what ASUU described as insincerity of the Federal government in implementing the resolutions of committees it set up to look into their demands.
Recall that the university lecturers downed their tools on 14 February 2022, Nigerian students have been at home amidst less effort by the Federal government to resolve the strike.
Speaking on Channels Television programme monitored by Newsonline, Professor Emmanuel Osedeke, ASUU National Chairman, disclosed that the body will be meeting with the Federal government today.
Professor Osedeke maintained that the Federal government must meet the demand of the lecturers if it is sincere about ending the strike.
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For the six months the lecturers have been on strike, the Federal government seized paying their salaries.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari gave the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, a two weeks ultimatum to resolve the strike, but three weeks later, Mallam Adamu was unable.
Osedeke said today’s meeting would only be effective if the Federal government agrees to their demand which was already made available through different committees set up by the government.
He said, “If we go into that meeting tomorrow and the government says, what you have bargained for, we are willing to sign, the strike will be called off.”
On their payment through IPPIS instead of their recommended UTAS, Osedeke said, ‘’We have been shouting all along that IPPIS is a fraud, we have told them that for 16 years they siphoned our money with IPPIS, they punished our members because of it. Now, they know, some foreign bodies forced it on the people.’’
