Olushola Omogbehin
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has stated its readiness to dialogue with the Federal Government to resolve the ongoing two-week nationwide strike declared on Sunday.
The President of ASUU, Prof. Chris Piwuna, said this on Monday during an interview on Channels Television. He said that the union has received good signals from government officials indicating a willingness to return to the negotiation table.
“Today, I received a call from Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, Chairman of the Federal Government Team, and he’s eager to resume talks with us. I also received another call from the Minister of State for Labour, stating that she’s been directed to intervene and get this matter resolved. ASUU is willing. We are ready and available to discuss this matter once and for all,” Piwuna said.
He said the union is expecting official communication from the Implementation and Labour Monitoring (IALM) Committee by Monday night or Tuesday, and that ASUU will promptly respond to any invitation.
“My understanding, as I’m talking to you now, is that between this night and tomorrow, I will get a communication from the secretary of the IALM Committee for a meeting at a date that they will tell us. And I would also hear from the Minister of Labour on what they want to do to resolve this matter. We are ready and willing to go back and talk,” he said.
On Sunday, ASUU declared a comprehensive two-week strike, suspending academic work across public universities, citing unresolved demands that have lingered for years.
Responding to this, the Federal Government argued that it has met ASUU’s demands and has labelled the strike unjustifiable, thereby threatened to enforce a “no work, no pay” policy, intending to withhold salaries of lecturers who fail to resume work.
