The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and representatives from the Federal Government are scheduled to convene on Monday to discuss the concerns raised by university educators and to prevent a potential strike.
On Wednesday, the union issued a 21-day strike notice to the government, urging the administration led by President Bola Tinubu to resolve outstanding issues hindering the progress of Nigerian universities.
Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, ASUU’s National President, announced the notice during a press conference at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture in Umudike, Abia State.
To avert the anticipated strike, Minister of Education Prof. Tahir Mamman stated that government officials will meet with ASUU leaders on Monday. He made this announcement during his appearance on the Beyond 100 Days program broadcast on TVC.
“We have already sent out notice to the leadership of ASUU for us to meet on Monday.
“On Wednesday, we (government side) reviewed the letter submitted by ASUU and all the issues which are listed in the letter. It is our hope that by Monday we will meet to discuss them.
“Some of the issues are historic in nature; when you talk about the 2009 agreement. This is something that dates back to almost 1981 when they started.
“We have been having a series of conversations with the leadership of ASUU on the issues affecting the university system so that we can, together, address all their concerns”, he said.