The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has denied reports in the Nigerian media suggesting that it agreed to call off the ongoing strike after meeting with the Federal Government negotiation team led by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige on Friday, November 27.
understands that news emerged on Friday night that ASUU and the Federal Government had reached an agreement to call off the ongoing ASUU strike after the government reportedly increased its offer for Earned Allowances EA to university-based unions and funding for the revitalization of public universities from N65 billion to N70 billion.
The report said with this, the Union gave an indication at the meeting that the strike which started since March would soon be called off after a meeting with the leadership of the union and its organs.
According to the report, ASUU leadership agreed to call off the strike after the government pledged to pay N40 billion for Earned Allowances and N30 billion for the revitalization of the university system bringing the total payment to N70 billion.
The report added that the Federal Government agreed to settle the arrears of salaries of the lecturers before December 31, noting that ASUU was expected to report the agreement to its organs and then communicate their decision to the government after which a date for the calling off of the strike would be announced.
SUU insisted, according to the report which quoted a source within the university union, that the agreement to call off the strike should not be announced until it has been approved by its members.
However just hours after the report emerged, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, ASUU President, has denied knowledge of any agreement to call off the strike, stressing that at the meeting, it was only agreed that union should convey Government message to their organs and get back to Government.
The ASUU President told reporters on Saturday morning: ” I am not aware of that. All I know is that we had a meeting and we are going to report to our members. But I don’t know about suspension of strike.”
