President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu and the minister of Labour, Chris Ngige to resolve the prolonged strike embarked upon by the four university-based unions and report back to him in two weeks time.
President Buhari gave the directive on Tuesday after he received briefings from the relevant government Ministries, Agencies and Departments involved in resolving the face-off with the university unions.
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).
President Buhari summoned the Tuesday meeting to receive briefing from the government team on while the strike has lingered for too long.
The President after hearing from the relevant MDA’s directly involved ordered the Minister of Education to ensure that the impasse was resolved within two weeks and report back to him.
President Buhari also directed that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige must be in any of the meetings to resolve the crisis.
Adamu is expected to report back to Buhari on the development in two weeks.
The President commended Ngige in his efforts so far to resolve the face-off.
Those at the meeting were the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr. Zainab Ahmed, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Ngige, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, the Head of Service of the Federation, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan, the Chairman of National Salaries Income and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta, the Director-General Budget Office, Ben Akabueze.
