OLusegun Ariyo
There is confusion raging between the Academic Staff Union of Universities and Nigeria’s Federal Government over the notice of meeting issuance as the union said it did not receive any notice of meeting from the ministry of labour and employment over its ongoing strike
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, had during a meeting with the striking National Association of Academic Technologists on Friday, promised to meet with ASUU this week.
This week was also the last week of the ASUU’s two months rollover strike.
But the National President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, told journalists on Sunday that the union had yet to receive any notice of a meeting from any Federal Government ministry.
“No, we have not received any notice of meeting from them. They didn’t call us. We are not begging them to meet with us and we will not go to them if they do not invite us. It is part of his (Ngige’s) political campaign, we didn’t receive any invite,” he said.
When asked what would be ASUU’s decision at the end of its two-month rollover strike which ends on Friday, Osodeke said, “My people will decide.”
He added, “No meeting, if we do not hear from them, our National Executive Council will meet at the expiration of this week.”
But the spokesperson of the Ministry of Education, Ben Goong, faulted Osodeke’s claim on the notice of the meeting.
Though Goong did not give a specific date for the meeting, he noted that the government had continually reached out to the union.
He said, “The negotiating team is meeting ASUU this week. I cannot say when but I am very sure they will be meeting. The team has reached out to ASUU.
“It is not true that we have not been communicating with them. ASUU is making a series of demands including increase in salary, if we have not been communicating, who then are they making their demands to?”
Meanwhile, members of the National Executive Council of ASUU commenced their meeting last night in Abuja.
A source in ASUU said, “The meeting is still ongoing. No decision yet, the source says!