ASUU Strike Update: After NEC Meeting,ASUU Set To Suspend Strike

Academic activities may pick up next week in the nation's
public universities as the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU) would this weekend hold its National
Executive Council (NEC) meeting to take a position on the
on-going five- month-old strike. Saturday Sun source
revealed that national officers and branch chairmen of
ASUU have arrived at the venue of the crucial meeting to
deliberate on the industrial action.

The industrial action, which enters 144 days today, took off
on July 1, 2013 and has crippled academic activities in
federal and state universities. Ahead of the NEC meeting,
some members of ASUU in two universities, Enugu State
University (ESUT) and University of Agricultural Abeokuta
(UNAB) had announced that their institutions would open
for academic activities. Also, the authorities of the University
of Lagos despite the on-going strike have started the
screening/registration for new students offered admission
for the 2013/2014 academic session.

The source told our Correspondent that ASUU is aware of
public concern about the situation in the universities and
that NEC would do the needful after deliberating on reports
from the outcome of the various congress.

According to the
source, having mourned and honoured late Professor Festus
Iyayi, who died while on his way to Bayero University Kano
(BUK) for a NEC meeting by suspending the meeting, ASUU
leadership felt it was ripe to hold the crucial meeting.
He refused to give insight to the outcome of the NEC
meeting but stressed that the decision would be fair based
on the various congress resolutions of the meeting its
leaders held with President Goodluck Jonathan.

Expectations were high before the postponed ASUU NEC
meeting because of the death of its former national
President that the industrial action would be suspended
after the Federal Government shifted ground on the
demands of the university lecturers.
Recalled that President Jonathan had to intervene after the
Vice President, Namadi Sambo and the chairman,
Implementation and Monitoring Committee led by the Benue
State Governor, Gabriel Suswam failed to produce positive
results. At the crucial November 5 meeting with ASUU
leaders in Aso Rock, the government agreed to provide
N220billion yearly for the next five years and improve on
the amount to be released for the contentious Earned
Allowance.
Source:sunnews
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