ASUU rejects Buhari plea on strike, meeting with FG deadlocked

The Academic Staff Union of Universities says it will continue with its industrial action as it rejected the plea by President Muhammadu to end the strike.

The union, which met with Federal Government officials at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, on Thursday night, maintained its stance on the industrial action.

Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, had invited the union to a meeting at Aso Rock.

Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, attended the meeting which ended without any meaning agreement.

A source at the parley said ASUU Chairman, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, accused the Federal Government of withholding the salaries of lecturers so as to force them to return to classrooms.

Other issues raised are the renegotiation of 2009 ASUU-FG Agreement and the inconsistency in Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System.

President Buhari had appealed to the union to end the strike in the interest of the students and the nation.

He stated the resolve of the union to carry on with the strike until their demands were met.

ASUU had, on Monday, extended its roll-over strike which started on February 14 by another 12 weeks.

Its demands include the funding of the revitalisation of public universities, the Earned Academic Allowances, the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) and promotion arrears.