ASUU NEC Meets Wednesday to Review FG’s Final Terms

The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Academic Staff Union of Universities will meet on Wednesday to decide on the union’s next actions after discussions led by the Yayale Ahmed committee set up by the Federal Government, as reported by The PUNCH.

To avoid a new strike by ASUU, the government’s negotiation team resumed talks with the union on Monday.

The meeting, which began yesterday, is expected to officially end today (Tuesday), according to a senior ASUU NEC member who asked to remain anonymous due to restrictions on media interactions during negotiations.

“The renegotiation meeting started on Monday and will conclude on Tuesday. After that, NEC will gather to evaluate our next steps on Wednesday. We will share the results then,” the NEC member said.

ASUU’s one-month deadline for the Federal Government ended on Saturday, raising worries in public universities.

The union has repeatedly warned of a total strike, claiming the government is “indifferent” to its long-standing requests.

These requests include revising the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government agreement, paying overdue salaries and allowances, and providing funds to revitalize universities.

Despite these concerns, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who is currently overseas, insists that the government has met the union’s requests.

Speaking to State House reporters two weeks ago, Alausa reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s directive that no strikes should occur in public universities, stressing that discussions are ongoing.

“As I mentioned, the President has instructed us to prevent a strike by ASUU, and we are doing everything we can to keep our students in school,” he stated.

“We have addressed nearly all their demands and have returned to negotiations. We will find a solution.”

The Nigeria Labour Congress has voiced its support for ASUU, warning that it will “stand with the academic community” if the government does not respond to the union’s requests.