The Federal Government has resumed negotiation with members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the lingering strike by the union.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, is presiding over the meeting ongoing in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
In his opening remarks, the minister explained that the meeting should have reconvened before now but had to wait for inputs from all the ministries involved, as well as from President Muhammadu Buhari.
“It was not easy for us to get the necessary things, we just finished the last consultations two days ago,” he told the striking lecturers and others present at the meeting.
Ngige also appealed to the lecturers that the meeting should have a smooth and fruitful outcome that would lead to the reopening of schools.
On his part, the President of ASUU, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, stated that the issue of withheld salaries of members should be first item on the agenda of Friday’s discussion.
Following the remarks by the minister and the ASUU President, the meeting went into a technical session.
At the last meeting held in October, Ngige said the Federal Government would present its last position on the strike to the lecturers at the next (Friday’s) meeting.
Both the government and ASUU have failed to reach a compromise over issues bordering on the payment platform, as well as unpaid earned allowances for lecturers and funds for university revitalisation, among others.
