ASUU STRIKE : TALKS WITH FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS ADVANCING

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has said the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement between the Federal Government and the union has reached an advanced stage.

The union encouraged its members to remain focused to the end “of the struggle.”

The union made this known in a memo titled, “Strike bulletin number 6”, signed by its National President, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, and made available to all branches of the union.

Our correspondent obtained a copy of the memo on Sunday.

Osodeke, in the memo, noted that the union had a total of five meetings with the representatives of the Federal Government, while two meetings were held with the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu.

The memo read in part, “Our iron-cast resolve has forced the government to sit down and negotiate with us.

“We have had five meetings with the Federal Government team and two meetings with the Minister of Education.

“The renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement is progressing smoothly and has reached an advanced stage. However, we must remain focused to the end of this struggle.

“The University Transparency and Accountability Solution has been tested for the third time. So far, the National Information Technology Development Agency

has tested UTAS and University Peculiar Personnel and Payroll System, and will start testing the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System by next week. We are undeterred by the antics of some government officials in this respect.

“It is clear that hunger, misinformation, distortion of facts, intimidation and other sundry acts of arm-twisting have failed to break our resolve to date; they should not break us now.

“Ignore fake news and divisive

information emanating from social media and a section of the press. If in doubt over any issue, contact your chairperson for correct information.

“We are at the threshold of victory. Let us keep faith with the union. A people united can never be defeated.”

So far under the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), schools have been shut down for no fewer than 13 months.

Education rights groups such as Reform Education Nigeria and Education Rights Campaign have called for an increase in funding of the nation’s tertiary education.