Breaking News: Senate, ASUU, FG Meeting on Strike Issues Deadlocked

The negotiations among the Senate, the Federal government and the

leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, over the

ongoing industrial action embarked by universities lecturers ended

without parties reaching any compromise.

The meeting which was at the instance of the chairman, Senate

Committee on Education, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, PDP Abia North,was

called to pacify the striking lecturers with a bid to finding a common

ground. However, a source at the meeting revealed that all efforts to

push for a call off ofthe strike proved abortive as members of ASUU

stood their grounds.

The source also said that for well over seven hours, Chukwumerije was

literarily on his kneels pleading with the lecturers to consider the

plights of the students and calloff the strike, but ASUU members

refused to shift ground.

The meeting had in attendance, Secretary to the Government of the

Federation, SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Minister of Education,

Professor Ruquayyatu Rufai; Executive Secretary, National Universities

Commission, NUC, Professor Julius Okojie and members of the Senate

Committee on Education, among others