The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) concluded a closed-door meeting on Wednesday with an agreement to resolve all contentious issues amicably to prevent a strike.
The closed-door meeting, which commenced at approximately 4:30 pm at the Ministry of Education headquarters in Abuja and lasted for over two hours, was attended by the two ministers overseeing Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman and Dr. Yusuf Sununu, along with other high-ranking officials in the ministry on the federal government’s team.
ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, who led the union’s team, informed the press after the meeting that the negotiation process had commenced, expressing hope that the federal government would act on the agreed terms.
“We have deliberated on all the issues and have delegated tasks to certain individuals to assess and come to an agreement on the way forward,” he stated.
Regarding the two-week ultimatum issued by the union, Osodeke mentioned that they would return to provide the details of the meeting to their members.
"The crucial point is that we have initiated the process, and we aspire to resolve it in the interest of our young people and the nation. The government has been in office for one year, and we have not been summoned for any formal meeting. Today, we had the first official meeting. We have started a process and will set deadlines. We will convene to assess the progress on those issues, and we anticipate that the process will continue," he affirmed.
On his part, Mamman emphasized that consultations would commence immediately to address the challenges affecting the education sector.
“We had a very constructive and productive meeting. We discussed the progress in ensuring the effective functioning of the system, addressing both inherited and ongoing issues. We reached a consensus on the way forward. Further consultations will address some information beyond the ministry’s scope, requiring collaboration with colleagues in other ministries. The paramount outcome is that we reached a solid agreement and will continue with consultations to resolve the challenges affecting education in Nigeria,” Mamman concluded.
CirclesonTV previously reported that ASUU had threatened to go on a nationwide strike due to the federal government’s failure to meet its demands. The union had called on the government to take action within two weeks to address all outstanding demands, including removal from IPPIS, renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, all backlog of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), and outstanding salaries.