Sambo wades into negotiations with ASUU to end protracted strike

The Vice-President Namadi Sambo has taken over negotiations with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in a bid to resolve the protracted strike by the university dons.

This followed the stalemate of the previous negotiations with the Federal Government officials led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, (SGF).

Sambo, last night, met the ASUU delegation led by the President, Dr. Nasir Fagge, his two predecessors, Dr. Dipo Fasina, Dr. Abdullahi Sule-Kano and Fagge's deputy. The government's delegation was led by the Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike with the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof Julius Okojie, with Vice Chancellors of Bayero University Kano (BUK), University of Ibadan (UI) and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi, Profs. Abdulrasheed Abubakar, Isaac Adewole and Muhammed Hamisu Muhammed.

Both parties were reluctant to discuss the outcome of the meeting, which lasted for more than two hours in the VP's conference hall.

ASUU president who spoke under intense pressure from newsmen said: 'We've just had a meeting with the Vice President and he has given us a message to our members, and we said that as messengers that we are, we are going to deliver the message faithfully to our members and then they will take the decision.'

'I know Nigerians are expecting solution to the strike, we also want a solution, but I have been given a message to our members. The message is not for Nigerians, it is for our members.

'If I deliver the message, our principal will decide and we will get back to the Ministry of Education within this week,' Fagge added.

Wike explained that the purpose of the meeting was to find a lasting solution to the crisis to ensure that students go back to school.

According to him, the parties had a fruitful deliberation. 'One is quite hopeful that ASUU is committed, they have the passion and that there is the need for us to move the education sector forward.'