THE striking Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, will convene emergency National Executive Council, NEC meeting on Thursday, to review recent developments, especially the positive response from the federal government to its demands.
Preparatory to the meeting expected to take place at its headquarters in Abuja,the union has directed its zonal branches to collate the views of members through vote during the meetings expected to hold tomorrow in its various zones across the country.
The outcome of the meeting would result in suspension of the strike on late Thursday or Friday morning.
This came as report had emerge in the social media space earlier on Tuesday, claiming that the union had called off the almost 8-month old strike and subsequently directed members to resume academic activities on October 17.
ASUU president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, while responding to enquiry to that effect, dismissed the report, saying the strike was yet to be suspended.
He, however,said the union was working towards the suspension of the action, saying the action would be dependent on the views of members from the zonal meetings.
The latest action of the lecturers’ union came following the intervention of the Speaker of the House of Representatives,Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
The Speaker had on Monday,after a meeting with ASUU president and other members,assured that the strike would be suspended very soon, saying his meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari over the union’s action was fruitful.
Earlier, human rights lawyer and counsel to ASUU, Femi Falana, SAN, had also said the union would soon call off its nearly eight-month old strike. (Vanguard).
Similarly, Dr John Edor, Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Calabar branch, has said that there have been some understanding and shifting of grounds with a view of resolving the strike.
Edor, who spoke with newsmen on Wednesday in Calabar after a congress of the union, said that the truce was as a result of the intervention of the Speaker of House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila.
Gbajabiamila had met with executive members of the union and top officials of Federal Government at the House of Representatives with a view of resolving the over 7 months old strike.
He said that what the union was asking the Federal Government was a sustained commitment towards quality tertiary education in the country.
“Some understanding have been reached, some shifting of grounds have been made and we need to process this through our various organs and the final resolution will be taken at the National Executive Council.
According to him, there was no need to register other unions in the university system, since ASUU already exist with the priority of members’ welfare.
“There was no need to register other unions. In 2013, some groups of persons wanted to register another body, but same Ministry of Labour told them that ASUU already existed. (NAN)
