There are indications that the Federal Government may
seek the intervention of past Presidents/Heads of States, Governors,
traditional rulers and serving Senators to mediate in its current face-off with
the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
The supervisory Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, said
this on Wednesday in Abuja during a palliative meeting with the President of
Nigeria Union of Teachers, Michael Olukoya; and Minister of Labour and
Productivity, Emeka Wogu.
Olukoya had suggested that following the inability of the
committees earlier set up to settle the crisis, the Federal Government should
seek the intervention of past presidents, governors, traditional rulers and
serving senators.
He also said that the NUT still stood by its threat
to solidarise with ASUU over the university teachers’ demands unless
directed otherwise by the union’s National Executive Council.
Olukoya said, “With the way this strike has lingered on
for three months, we believe government should explore all modalities to end
it. Government should invite past heads of states, speakers, senators,
Ministers of Labour and Education and every other stakeholder in the sector to
resolve this ugly situation.
“Call powerful voices like traditional leaders to
intervene in this strike because our concern as teachers is that as these
undergraduates stay at home, they are prone to negative vices and in turn these
are the same people that would lead the society in future.”
Wike said government was looking at the suggestion by
NUT.
He said, “We have met to dialogue on the way forward to
the crisis in the education sector. The meeting went very well and it was very
cordial with respect to the crisis between ASUU and Federal Government.
“We have put our heads together and we have taken all the
ideas, both the one we suggested and the one NUT suggested and we are going to
move it forward. The suggestions by NUT were quite good and the
ones we suggested were also quite good and we have put them together. Just
watch out what is going to happen very soon.”
The Minister was however evasive on when the strike would
be called off.
Meanwhile, Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities will
meet in Akure, Ondo State on Monday, October 6, to deliberate on the ASUU
strike.
This came as students of the Obafemi Awolowo University,
Ile-Ife on Wednesday, urged the Federal Government to implement immediately the
various agreements it reached with labour unions in the nation’s tertiary
institutions. (Vanguard)
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