The National Executive Council of the Academic Staff Union of Universities will meet on Saturday with zonal leaders of the union over the Federal Government’s failure to  implement agreements it reached with the union in 2020.

ASUU’s  Coordinator in charge of Sokoto Zone, Jamilu Shehu, disclosed this at a press conference in Katsina on Wednesday, just as the union Chairman at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Dr Gbenga Adeleye and his counterpart for  Tai Solarin University of Education, Dr. Kazeem Rufai, confirmed the proposed meeting .

Although the union leaders did not disclose the venue of the meeting, it was gathered that the lecturers would decide on a proposed strike by the association.

Shehu urged the Federal Government to urgently implement the December 23, 2020 Memorandum of Action it signed with the union.

He said, “Our meeting next Saturday may determine our next line of action.Hence, we are calling on all concerned parties to urgently address these issues in line with the spirit and letters of the December 2020 MoA and the intervention of the Speaker, House of Representatives, and others, or risk industrial action.”

Shehu also called on  all patriotic Nigerians to prevail on the government to implement the MoA.

The union leader stated, “Both the federal and state governments should be impressed upon to accord the education sector the attention it deserves because that is the only, and of course surest way, that we can truly develop as a nation.”

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Shehu identified outstanding issues that should be resolved as non- implementation of funding for the revitalisation of public universities, and “payment and mainstreaming of Earned Academic Allowances.”

Also, Adeleye and Rufai said  ASUU’s meeting would hold between the National Executive Council and leadership of the union in the branches across the country on Saturday .

Govt waiting for strike, says ASUU President

Also, the National President of ASUU, Prof Emmanuel Oshodeke, in an interview with one of our correspondents said the Federal Government was waiting for the union to go on strike.

He said the government had neither called nor met with the union since the ultimatum given the government elapsed on December 5, 202.

Oshodeke said, “Their response to us has been very poor. We have not heard from the government; they didn’t call nor request to meet us. I guess they are waiting for strike.

“They don’t have the interest of the university and students at heart, if not, they would have responded by now.”https://aeb86ba49e846269449bc80074859a3b.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

  Education minister replies  ASUU

 But the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, challenged the union to highlight the roles played by public officers, it alleged, wanted to kill public universities.

ASUU had on Tuesday alleged that some public officers wanted to kill public universities. It also accused the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation of thwarting efforts to resolve the crisis with government.

But Nwajiuba in an interview with The PUNCH, said, government was making efforts to resolve the issues.

He stated “As regards the allegation, I want ASUU to please list some of the things we have done to kill public Universities in Nigeria, at least there must be something that can be pointed to that this was what we did, let ASUU highlight them and we shall respond accordingly.”