FG And ASUU Meet Today Over Strike

The Federal Government will meet the Academic Staff Union of
Universities, ASUU, today on the ongoing strike embarked on by
university lecturers over the non- implementation of the 2009 FG/ASUU
agreement, which has been on for weeks.
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The meeting comes following the denial of Minister of Labour and
Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu of a newspaper report that the Federal
Government agreement with ASUU could not work.
The minister said he never made such a statement and that he only
appealedto the union to return to the classrooms while negotiations
continued.
Last week's meeting of the two sides with the Senate and House of
Representatives Joint Committee on Education had ended in deadlock as
both sides seems to be ready to compromise their stands. The two
groups were told by the lawmakers, to go back and review their
positions, while they choose a later date to reconvene.
Fielding questions from journalists, yesterday, Minister of Education,
Professor Ruqayyatu Rufa'I, said that the Federal Government had no
other option than to meet with the union to resolve the crisis, so
students can return to school.
"Government has no option but to make efforts to resolve ASUU crisis.
Mr. President is concerned, everybody is concerned, definitely,
efforts will have to be made to have students back in classrooms.
"So we are pleading with our colleagues in ASUU to call off the strike
but we are meeting with them, we are meeting tomorrow (today).
Lamenting the state of Nigeria's economy, President of Academic Staff
Union of Universities, ASUU, Dr. Nasir Fagge, said Nigeria's economy
had been taken over by Chinese, as leadersin Nigeria have refused to
provide quality education to the people, while the Chinese government
trained its people in all sectors with the necessary facilities.
Fagge said Nigeria's economy will continue going down the sorry path
it is on now, except leaders of the country provided universities with
adequate facilities to give qualitative education to the youths.
"The thing about it is that, if other countries are investing about
28-30 per cent of their annual budget in education, typically
Ghana-even this year, Ghana has committed 28 per cent of its total
budget to education, if they can do it, why not Nigeria.
"Even now, what is happening is that the Chinese have taken over our
economy simply because they have trained their people, they have
educated their people and their people can compete any where in the
World that is why our President is going to China to go and sign MoU
(Memorandum of Understanding).Why cant we do the same, why cant we
train our people and give them quality education so that we will also
be exporting them to go and carry out assignments in other countries
and then bring foreign exchange for our country and then we will not
need to be importing people to come and do some sundry projects in our
country."
He however expressed optimism that the agreement the union entered
into with the federal government would beimplemented.
"This thing that they are saying agreement cannot be implemented, we
have heard it before. Prof. Ben Nwabueze was always in the media when
he was the Minister of Education saying that it was an agreement of
imperfect obligation," he said.
The outcome of today's meeting will determine the fate of students who
bear the brunt of strike actions like this.