Academic activities may pick up next week in the nation's
public universities as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)
would this weekend hold its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting to
take a position on the on-going five- month-old strike.
Saturday Sun source revealed that national officers and branch
chairmen of ASUU have arrived at the venue of the crucial meeting to
deliberate on the industrial action.
The industrial action, which enters 144 days today, took off on July 1, 2013 and has crippled academic activities in federal and state universities.
Ahead of the NEC meeting, some members of ASUU in two universities,
Enugu State University (ESUT) and University of Agricultural Abeokuta
(UNAB) had announced that their institutions would open for academic
activities.
Also, the authorities of the University of Lagos despite the on-going
strike have started the screening/registration for new students offered
admission for the 2013/2014 academic session.
The source told our Correspondent that ASUU is aware of public
concern about the situation in the universities and that NEC would do
the needful after deliberating on reports from the outcome of the
various congress.
According to the source, having mourned and honoured late Professor
Festus Iyayi, who died while on his way to Bayero University Kano (BUK)
for a NEC meeting by suspending the meeting, ASUU leadership felt it was
ripe to hold the crucial meeting.
He refused to give insight to the outcome of the NEC meeting but
stressed that the decision would be fair based on the various congress
resolutions of the meeting its leaders held with President Goodluck
Jonathan.
Expectations were high before the postponed ASUU NEC meeting because
of the death of its former national President that the industrial action
would be suspended after the Federal Government shifted ground on the
demands of the university lecturers.
Recalled that President Jonathan had to intervene after the Vice
President, Namadi Sambo and the chairman, Implementation and Monitoring
Committee led by the Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam failed to
produce positive results.
At the crucial November 5 meeting with ASUU leaders in Aso Rock, the
government agreed to provide N220billion yearly for the next five years
and improve on the amount to be released for the contentious Earned
Allowance.
Source: Naij
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