Federal Government says it has done all within its powers to end the prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, said this on Tuesday during a meeting with Pro-Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors of Federal Universities at the National Universities Commission, Abuja.
Recall that ASUU had since February 14, 2022, embarked on an indefinite strike, demanding full implementation of previous agreements the union and the FG had entered into.
But Adamu said all previous efforts by the government to resolve the issues behind the lecturers’ strike have proved abortive.
He expressed regret that he and many other government officials had engaged ASUU on several occasions to end the seven-month-old strike to no avail.
Adamu said, “We have done the best that we can in the circumstance. After inter-ministerial consultations and rounds of hard negotiations with all government agencies, we interacted with the Unions. I personally, gave it all it required to resolve the current challenges.
“I met the Unions anywhere and everywhere possible with facts, with figures, and with absolute sincerity.
“For example, I directly met with ASUU leadership in my house, in my office and at the ASUU Secretariat on several different occasions, in addition to other formal engagements going on.”
The Minister disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari had directed them not to accept from ASUU and other varsity-based unions any demand that is not feasible.