The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) held a crucial meeting today in Abuja, marking a significant step in addressing ongoing concerns within the nation’s public universities. Both parties described the discussions as “fruitful,” though they were cautious about disclosing specific details of the nearly two-hour-long meeting.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, who led the government delegation, informed the press that the meeting had successfully laid out “modalities on how to make progress” on the issues at hand. He stated, “We have had a very fruitful discussion. We have worked out modalities on how to make progress with them, and hopefully, we see a very good reason on the issues.” He emphasized the task ahead, noting that the focus now shifts to implementing these modalities to resolve the problems.
Prof. Mamman further revealed that the leadership of ASUU is expected to present the decisions reached at the meeting to its members and return with feedback when both parties reconvene on September 6, 2024. “So we are coming back again, reconvening on the 6th of September, to report back progress towards the resolution of the issues. This is basically what we have agreed on,” he added.
ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, confirmed that the discussions centered on reviewing the government’s actions since their last meeting. “Actually, we have met to discuss all the issues and what they [the government] have done between the last time we met and today,” he said. Prof. Osodeke expressed hope that by their next meeting, significant progress would have been made in addressing ASUU’s concerns. “We have reviewed them and agreed that let also give the government between now and our next meeting, to see what they would have done on these issues,” he explained.
The meeting was convened in response to ASUU’s recent threat to embark on a nationwide strike, citing the government’s failure to meet its demands. The talks aimed to prevent another disruption in Nigeria’s public university system.
The ASUU delegation, led by Prof. Osodeke, included all executive members of the union, as well as former ASUU presidents, with immediate past president Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi among them. The meeting took place at the conference hall of the Federal Ministry of Education.
As the nation awaits the outcome of the next meeting, both parties remain hopeful that the issues will be resolved amicably, ensuring a smooth academic system for Nigeria’s students.