Senator Smart Adeyemi, representing Kogi West, has asked the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to reach “a middle ground” in the disagreement between them.
Adeyemi, while speaking to the Nigerian News Agency in Abuja on Monday, described the ongoing ASUU strike as the most unjustified as universities have been intermittently on ASUU strikes that have affected academic activities.
reports that the union had embarked on a month-long nationwide warning strike on February 14 to press its members’ demands
Adeyemi said that the two sides should reconcile for the sake of Nigerian students.
“Most of the children of the elites are not in school in Nigeria, so I think ASUU should give a little bit and the federal government should give a little bit, there needs to be a compromise.
“I want the government and ASUU to reconcile; I want you to feel again. Nobody should take an extreme position, an extreme position because the role of ASUU is so crucial, critical for national development.
“We also need to keep in mind that ASUU members deserve good service status, but good service status should always be within available resources,” he said.
The legislator, however, said that the union deserved good conditions of service to be able to teach well and be able to have confidence in their professional vocation.
“Be that as it may, the government must do everything possible to fulfill some of ASUU’s obligations.”
reports that ASUU insisted on continuing its strike unless the Federal Government complies with all existing demands.
But the Federal Government, for its part, believes the ongoing strike will be called off soon, saying it was surprised by the strike that university professors embarked on February 14.
Addressing the resumption of the conciliation meeting, Labor and Employment Minister Senator Chris Ngige said the government was surprised that ASUU denied the understanding and assurances it gave through the Nigerian Interreligious Council (NIREC) led by Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar and the president. of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Supo Ayokunle.
According to the minister who was in Botswana for the African Regional Labor Administrative Center (ARLAC) meeting when ASUU declared the action, he said he thought the university professors and their employer, the Ministry of Education would have resolved the areas of dispute within days. .
“I honestly thought that ASUU and the Ministry of Education would have resolved the issues, which are hopefully not major areas of contention, that warrant industrial action.
”To my surprise, I came back and the strike continues. Be that as it may, it is the mandate of my Ministry to apprehend labor conflicts wherever they occur and we have apprehended it that way.
“From this negotiation that we are having today, ASUU will appreciate that the government means no harm. This is because even if there are still lapses in the implementation of the agreement, they are not such as to lead to industrial action. To that extent, we have to do our best to resolve this.
”I must tell you that from the government side, they were taken before that date, NIREC met with you (ASUU) and informed the president. Having met with you (ASUU) and given the details of their meeting with you, we sincerely hope that we will not take this industrial course of action again.
“So the government side is taken from Education, Ministry of Fice and everyone is baffled.”
Ngige, however, assured that the strike had been apprehended. The ongoing conciliation would pave the way for an expanded meeting involving NIREC.
