ASUU leaders abandon FG, NASS talks

The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities on Tuesday left the National Assembly angrily, abandoning a meeting with the National Assembly Committees on Education and the Federal Government team for being kept waiting.

The committees had convened the meeting to find ways of resolving the strike action embarked upon by the university teachers.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqquayatu Rufa’i; the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu; the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof.  Julius Okojie, among others represented the Federal Government at the meeting.

When ASUU officials arrived at the meeting venue, they discovered that the committees on education were meeting with representatives of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics  and the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union.

While the meeting with ASUP was meant to resolve the over two months strike by polytechnic teachers, that of COEASU was meant to avert a similar action in education colleges.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Senator Uche Chukwumerijie, sought the understanding of the ASUU delegation to be patient for 10 minutes to allow him round off the meeting with ASUP, but the ASUU members walked away from the venue.

The Committee was shocked after its meeting with ASUP that the ASUU delegation had left and did not honour the appeal made by its chairman.

Former Chairman, House Committee on Education, Mr. Farouk Lawan, however, urged the committee to disregard the attitude of ASUU leaders in the interest of students thrown out of school by the strike and the country’s education sector.

Another member of the House Committee, Hon Jerry Alagboso, described the action of ASUU members as “intellectual arrogance”.

He called on the leadership of the Committee to formally write to warn ASUU against such tendencies in future.

Rufa’i and Wogu refrained from making any comment.