ASUU finally calls off strike

By George Aluo

The Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) on Wednesday called off its strike, ending a protracted industrial action that started in March 2020.

ASUU National President, Biodun Ogunyemi, made the announcement during a briefing of the union in Abuja.

The news has been greeted with joy, especially by parents and students.

ASUU had been at loggerheads with government over wages.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, had reassured Nigerians that ASUU was expected to call off its strike action in January 2021.

According to him, negotiations between ASUU and the Federal Government,  had reached 98 percent.

His words: ‘We have met about 98 percent of the request of ASUU. Some five to two percent is what you can call promissory notes. So, I am very hopeful that by midnight today, there are some works we are supposed to get on to do. They also have some work they are supposed to do on their own side with their people.

‘Tuesday, we will meet in the afternoon and we will compare notes. We will put everything on the table and compare. I believe that we might have come to the end of the strike when we meet tomorrow. Well, it is a journey of a thousand miles which you will have to take one step first. Tomorrow, all things being equal, we will agree now to agree because we were disagreeing before.’

‘We disagree to agree and agree to disagree formerly. But tomorrow, I hope we will agree to agree. Once we do that, schools will reopen in January.’