ASUU: Our negotiation with FG will be concluded soon

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) says its ongoing negotiation with the Federal Government on issues leading to their current strike will soon be concluded.

The President of the union, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, gave this hope in an interview with Nigerian Tribune.

The strike has crippled academic activities in the nation’s public universities for about five months now.

Osodeke was asked for an update on the union’s position as regards its ongoing negotiation with the Federal Government team led by Prof Nimi Briggs, who is the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).

The ASUU boss however said calling off the strike would be a decision by the union congress.

He stressed that their negotiation with the Federal Government team was at the advanced stage of reaching conclusion.

He said ASUU would let members of the public know its stance on the negotiation and the way forward.

“But for now, we are still negotiating and to conclude on this very soon,” he said.

ASUU has since February been on strike over some demands that they consider important to stabilise the public university system.

The demands include the funding of the revitalisation of public universities; payment of Earned Academic Allowances and promotion arrears; replacement of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System( IPPIS) with the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS), as well as the renegotiation of its 2009 agreement with the Federal Government.

The union has remained adamant, saying it will not return to the classrooms on empty promises by the Federal Government and hundreds of thousands of students have remained at home idle.