FG Begs ASUU to Suspend Strike, Reaches Agreement with Union on N30bn Audit

The federal government on Tuesday reached an agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) aimed at resolving the indefinite strike by the union.

The meeting came as the government urged the university lecturers to suspend their ongoing strike in the interest of the nation.

ASUU had last Monday embarked on strike following the failure to implement the agreement it reached with the federal government in 2009.

The meeting between leadership of the union and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, ended with an agreement to audit the N30 billion earlier given to the union in 2010.

After the meeting, which lasted for more than four hours, both sides took significant steps towards resolving the issues raised by the union.

Confirming the development, the Deputy Director, Press Ministry of Labour and Employment, Samuel Olowookere, in a statement, assured Nigerians that efforts were being made to resolve the outstanding differences with the union.

“Particularly, the meeting agreed on the forensic audit of the sum of N30 billion earlier given to ASUU in 2010 and further agreed on monthly remittances to ASUU while the audit lasts.

“The minister hence wishes to assure members of ASUU and indeed Nigerians that government is already at work to resolve all outstanding issues in line with the resolve of the present administration to cast any form of disruption of universities’ academic calendar into the dust bin of history,” Olowookere stated.

He said the meeting would continue tomorrow.

Earlier yesterday, Ngige had promised that the Babalakin Committee which the federal government set up on February 13, 2017, was already addressing the issues raised by lecturers and urged them to suspend their ongoing strike in the interest of the nation.

The minister said though the federal government did not wish to apportion blame, “it is important to note that ASUU did not follow due process in the declaration of the industrial action as it did not give the federal government, the mandatory 15 days notice as contained in the Section 41 of Trade Disputes Act, Cap T8, 2004.

“In fact, it was on August 14, 2017 that the Office of the Minister received a letter dated August 13, 2017 from ASUU, that is, one full day after it commenced the strike.”

He further noted that the letter was to inform the federal government that ASUU has started strike and not a declaration of intention to go on strike as contained in the Trade Dispute Act, 2004.