ASUU may end strike next week

Hope of an early resolution of the strike embarked on by
the public universities' lecturers rises as the Vice-President
Namadi Sambo met with the leadership of the Academic
Staff Union of Universities in Abuja on Thursday.
The meeting held behind closed doors had in attendance the
supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike and the
Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission,
Prof. Julius Okojie.
The union was led by its National President, Dr. Nasir
Faggae, and two former Presidents of ASUU; Dr. Dipo
Fasina and Dr. Abdullahi Sule-Kano.
Others at the meeting were the Vice-Chancellors of Bayero
University Kano, Prof. Abdulrasheed Abubakar; Prof. Isaac
Adewole of the University of Ibadan; and Prof. Muhammed
Hamisu of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University,
Bauchi.
It was however uncertain if yesterday's discussion was
fruitful as the two parties did not disclose the outcome of
the meeting which lasted for two hours to journalists.
Fagge, however, told State House Correspondents that the
union would make its position known after the National
Executive Council meeting.
Wike assured Nigerians that students would soon return to
school as government was ready to make sure all the
contending issues were resolved as soon as possible.
But a source at the meeting, who pleaded anonymity,
however, told one of our correspondents that going by the
new offers made by the Federal Government, the strike
might be called off within the next two weeks.
This, the source said, was because the Federal Government
had agreed to inject fund to revitalize the university system.
"The meeting went well, the vice-president made some new
offers that were different from what was on ground before.
For instance, the Federal Government had agreed to start
the injection of revitalisation fund into the university
system starting with N100bn this year and N150bn in 2014
and this will continue until the university system is solid
enough to stand.
The source, however, said that the ASUU team promised
the vice-president that the union would make it decision on
the strike known after its NEC meeting unconfirmed source
said had been scheduled for Saturday.
:punch