By our reporter| The Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) on Sunday threatened to extend the ongoing strike indefinitely.
The union, which issued the threat at its ongoing meeting in Abuja, accused the federal government of being unserious, even as it pledged to intimate Nigerians on the outcome of its meeting.
ASUU in February announced a four-week total and comprehensive warning strike following the inability of the union and the federal government to reach common ground on the demands of university lecturers.
Some of ASUU’s demands include the release of revitalization funds for universities, renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, release of earned allowances for university lecturers, and deployment of the UTAS payment platform for the payment of salaries and allowances of university lecturers.
The union, at the end of the initial four weeks of warning strike, declared another eight to give the government more time to attend to its demands.
The federal government had on Friday said it will resume talks with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) by next week in an effort to end the lingering strike by lecturers.
According to a statement by the acting spokesman of the federal ministry of labour and employment, Patience Onuobia, labour and employment minister, Chris Ngige, made the disclosure in his opening remark at a meeting with the striking National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
“As a conciliator, I manage you people in measured steps. That is why I want to take all of you holistically and I ask for your cooperation. When I finish with you today, I will continue with ASUU next week,” Ngige was quoted to have said.
“I have done NASU and SSANU yesterday and they were happy. I want you people to be happy as we leave here.”
According to the minister, the strikes in the education sector could have been averted if the unions embraced his open-door policy.
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