President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday handed the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu two weeks to ensure the lingering strike by the four university-based unions is resolved and to report back to him.
The President issued the directive after he received briefings from the relevant government Ministries, Agencies and Departments involved in resolving the face-off with the university unions.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, aggrieved over the Federal Government’s failure to fulfil the agreement it reached with the union, on February 14, 2022, embarked on strike since February 14. In solidarity, other unions also withdrew their services.
The other university unions that joined ASUU are the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions, NASU and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT.
At the Tuesday meeting summoned by Buhari to receive a briefing from the government team on while the strike has lingered for too long, the President after hearing from the relevant MDA’s directly involved, ordered Adamu to see that the disagreement was resolved within two weeks and report back to him.
According to sources at the meeting, Buhari equally directed that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige must be in any of the meetings to resolve the crisis.
The sources also hinted that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha should be part of the team to interface with the striking unions.
One of the sources claimed that Buhari applauded Ngige for his efforts so far to resolve the face-off.
Those at the meeting, it was learnt were Adamu, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr. Zainab Ahmed, Ngige, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, the Head of Service of the Federation, Folashade Yemi-Esan, the Chairman of National Salaries Income and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta, the Director-General Budget Office, Ben Akabueze.