President Muhammadu Buhari has given the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, two weeks to resolve the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Buhari To End ASUU Strike
KanyiDaily recalls that ASUU had embarked on a warning strike since February 14, over the failure of the federal government to meet its demands.
Amid the strike, the government and the union have held a series of meetings, but no agreement has been reached by both sides on ending the strike.
During a meeting with the education minister and other stakeholders on Tuesday, Buhari directed Adamu to resolve the prolonged ASUU strike and report back to him in two weeks time.
The president, who received a briefing from relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) on Tuesday, also reportedly directed that Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment, must be present at all the meetings involving the federal government and the union.
The education minister is also expected to address issues raised by other unions such as the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions (NASU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), is also expected to be involved in discussions with ASUU and other unions currently on strike.
Present at the meeting were Adamu; Ngige, Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance; Isa Pantami, minister of communications and digital economy; Folashade Yemi-Esan, head of the civil service of the federation; Ekpo Nta, chair of the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission; and Ben Akabueze, director-general, budget office.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said it would embark on a nationwide protest on July 26 and 27 over the ongoing ASUU strike.