FG mulls invitations to Obasanjo, Shagari, Senators, others to resolve ASUU crisis

The Federal Government is considering to seek the intervention of past Presidents/Heads of States, Governors, serving Senators and traditional rulers to resolve the current impasse with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The supervisory Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, said on Wednesday in Abuja during a palliative meeting with the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu, that the government was looking at the suggestion by NUT that following the inability of the committees earlier set up to settle the crisis, the Federal Government should seek the intervention of other eminent Nigerians.

The President of NUT, Michael Olukoya had said that 'with the way this strike has lingered on for three months, we believe government should explore all modalities to end it. Government should invite past heads of states, speakers, senators, Ministers of Labour and Education and every other stakeholder in the sector to resolve this ugly situation.

'Call powerful voices like traditional leaders to intervene in this strike because our concern as teachers is that as these undergraduates stay at home, they are prone to negative vices and in turn these are the same people that would lead the society in future', he said.

He also said that the  NUT still stood by its threat to solidarise with ASUU over the university teachers' demands  unless directed otherwise by the union's National Executive Council.

Wike on his part said: 'We have met to dialogue on the way forward to the crisis in the education sector. The meeting went very well and it was very cordial with respect to the crisis between ASUU and Federal Government.

'We have put our heads together and we have taken all the ideas, both the one we suggested and the one NUT suggested and we are going to move it forward.  The suggestions  by NUT were quite good and the ones we suggested were also quite good and we have put them together. Just watch out what is going to happen very soon.'

The Minister was however evasive on when the strike would be called off.