The vice-chancellors of federal universities in the country have said they would have to, first of all, hold a meeting with their pro-chancellors to review the Federal Government directive to them to reopen their schools for academic activities.
The Secretary-General of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, Professor Yakubu Ochefu, gave this hint in an exclusive interview with Tribune Online on Monday, saying the meeting would enable them to take a joint decision about the directive.
The secretary-general, who confirmed the authenticity of the Vice-Chancellors receiving the circular from the Federal Government through the National Universities Commission to reopen schools, said the same letter is also directed to the pro-chancellors of the federal universities.
He said the committee had confirmed that the Director of Finance and Account who signed the letter acted on behalf of the Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof Abubakar Raseed, who is not in the country.
He said whenever such type of letter is received, both vice-chancellors and the pro-chancellors of universities would convene a joint meeting to review the letter and then take a position.
He said now the meeting would take place hopefully, tomorrow (Tuesday) or on Wednesday in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
He said the meeting is concerned only the federal universities since the federal government is not the proprietor of the state-owned universities and more so that their proprietors have already told them what to do.
The Federal Government had dragged ASUU to the National Industrial Court and asked it to compel the union to call off its seven months old strike that has paralysed the academic activities in the nation’s public universities.
The court had, however, granted the prayer last Wednesday by ordering the lecturers to go back to work but ASUU did not satisfy with the court’s position and therefore challenged the order at the Appellate Court.
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