Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, said that the lingering dispute between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government will be resolved at the end of Tuesday (Today) meeting.
The minister’s optimism confirmed today in an exclusive report that ASUU had agreed to suspend its strike if three major conditions were met.
The conditions include, immediate payment of at least two months salary arrears while the remaining will be cleared by January, and payment of N70 billion as Earned Allowances and revitalization fund.
Speaking at the opening of the resumed talks on Tuesday, Ngige said that government had addressed all grey areas, adding there is now “light at the end of the tunnel”.
Regarding the alleged plan by the National Association of Nigerian Students to embark on street protest beginning from January 15 to compell the federal government and ASUU to reopen the universities, Ngige said: “We will disappoint those who want to use the #EndASUUStrike to cause disaffection and destroy government properties and lecturers homes by ensuring that today’s meeting produces resolution of the dispute”.
“We will disappoint those who are wishing for that because before January, we would have conclusively resolved the dispute,” he said.
On his part, ASUU president, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi said that progress had been made in the negotiations.
He said that ASUU was ready to make any sacrifice to ensure that the dispute was resolved and Universities reopened so long as federal government remains consistent in implementing the agreements they reached.
As the talks get underway, It was gathered that ASUU had made plans to address a press conference on Wednesday where it hopes to announce the outcome of negotiations.
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