The Nigerian government on Sunday has said the lingering Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike will soon come to an end.
The newly appointed Minister of State for Education, Goodluck Opiah gave the assurance while addressing Reporters in Owerri on Sunday.
“I can assure you that government is very concerned about the situation. Even as I speak to you now a lot of thinking, a lot of discussions and meetings are going on with a view to resolving the matter as quickly as possible.”
He expressed hope that the disagreement would end soon.
“I am hopeful that the disagreement between Government and ASUU will be resolved soon so that our children can go back to school”.
The Minister said the challenges in the education sector are surmountable and the Federal Government is not relenting in finding solutions and ending ASUU strike.
He said he is prepared to make impact in the sector by working with the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu.
He said: “I am prepared to make impacts in the Ministry and the Education sector working with the Minister, Mallam Adamu Adamu. Where there are challenges there must be solutions. And I can assure you that we will find the solution and our children will go back to school.”
ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke had said the union is waiting for a positive response from President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, noting that it’s members are ready to resume immediately if federal government responds to their demands.
Osodeke pointed out that the federal government is responsible for the strike action, adding that as soon as the government meets their demands, the striking lecturers are ready to resume immediately.
DAILY GIST reported that ASUU had commenced nationwide strike on February 14th 2022, citing different demands which the FG had failed to meet as its reasons.
Some of the demands include, payments of salary arrears, better working conditions, renegotiation of the 2009 FG-ASUU agreement, payment of earned academic allowances, funds for the revitalization of public universities, promotion arrears, and poor funding of state universities.
Other tertiary institution unions also on strike include the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
SSANU and NASU had announced the extension of their strike by two months saying that the strike would only end when the Federal Government meets members’ demands.
