The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) says it will determine its next course of action after its negotiation team briefs the union this weekend on the outcome of talks with the Federal Government.
Olujimi Dada, chairperson of ASUU at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), told BusinessDay that members are still in the dark about the details of the just-concluded negotiations, noting that the union can only take a collective position once its representatives provide a full report.
“The negotiation team met with the federal government and they have said they will brief us this weekend on the next step to take, whether there will be a strike or not,” Dada said.
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“Up till now, we have not been briefed. We don’t know what has happened and we don’t know what we are going to do.”
He added that all decisions will be based strictly on the negotiation team’s feedback, urging members to remain patient until the briefing.
“So when we get the brief about their discussion with the Federal Government, that is when we are going to decide. We should keep our hands crossed and wait until the weekend,” he said.
Dada expressed hope that students would not face another disruption in the academic calendar. “If the Federal Government had done what we asked them to do, we would not be here,” he said.
BusinessDay earlier reported that negotiations between the Federal Government and ASUU formally ended on Tuesday, with the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) expected to meet on Wednesday to review the final terms presented by the Yayale Ahmed-led renegotiation committee.
ASUU’s one-month ultimatum to the Federal Government expired on Saturday, heightening concerns about a potential nationwide shutdown of public universities. The union has repeatedly accused the government of slow action on its long-standing demands, including the renegotiation of the 2009 FG–ASUU agreement, payment of outstanding salaries and earned academic allowances, and release of revitalisation funds for public universities.
Meanwhile, Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, has maintained that the Tinubu administration is committed to preventing further disruption in the university system.
“The President has mandated us that he doesn’t want ASUU to go on strike. We’ve met nearly all their requirements and have returned to the negotiation table. We will resolve this.”
