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University Strike: Academic Body, ASUU's Meeting With Nigerian Government Again Ends In Deadlock, Strike To Continue

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With the meeting ending in a deadlock, it means that lecturers will continue with the strike.

The hope of ending the six months of industrial action embarked upon by lecturers in Nigerian public universities has been dashed again as the meeting between the lecturers and the government ended on Tuesday without reaching an agreement. 

 

With the meeting ending in a deadlock, it means that lecturers will continue with the strike.

 

The striking lecturers through their umbrella body, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) met with the Professor Nimi Briggs Committee on Tuesday at the National University Commission in Abuja with high hopes of resolving the impasse.

 

Channels Television reports that a senior member of ASUU disclosed that members of the Briggs' renegotiation committee did not come up with any new offer on the table.

 

Instead, the committee pleaded with the lecturers to suspend the ongoing strike, with promises that their concerns will be included in the 2023 budget.

 

It quoted the source as having stated that the meeting, which started at about noon, lasted for about three hours without any agreement being reached.

 

SaharaReporters earlier reported that the lecturers' union had embarked on a four-week warning strike on February 14, 2022, to force President Muhammadu Buhari's government to implement the 2009 FG/ASUU Agreement which stipulated how the nation's public universities will be funded to meet international standard.

 

On March 14, the union extended the industrial action by another two months to allow the government to meet all of its demands. A 12-week extension was announced on May 9.

 

Since May 9, the union has remained on strike, vowing to persist until its demands are met.

 

The lecturers among other things are seeking improved welfare, revitalisation of public universities and academic autonomy.

 

One of the issues the academics are fighting about is the non-payment of university revitalisation funds, which amounts to about N1.1 trillion.

 

But the Nigerian Government has said it lacks the resources to implement the agreement, citing low oil prices during Buhari's administration.

 

Since the strike action commenced, there have been protests across the country championed by the umbrella body of Nigerian students, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and lately Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which held a two-day solidarity protest to call on the government to implement the 2009 agreement signed with the ASUU. 

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Education