ASUU STRIKE: FG/ASUU Finally Sign Agreement, Varsities To Reopen Soon

After five months and 10 days that the public universities have been on strike, the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities on Wednesday finally signed a fresh  agreement.

The fresh pact is the review of the Federal Government/ASUU 2012 Memorandum of Understanding reached on the 2009 agreement.

Both parties, however, refused to reveal the details of the agreement to journalists who witnessed the signing of the agreement.

The meeting was almost boycotted by the union until the intervention of stakeholders.

ASUU had on Tuesday vowed not to attend the meeting because there was no commitment and proper invitation from the government.

The union had demanded for proof of the payment of the N200bn into a Central Bank of Nigeria account for public universities, non-victimisation clause, review of the agreement in 2014 and that a representative of government, preferably the Attorney-General of the Federation to sign the agreement as conditions to call off the strike which began on July 1.

Our correspondent, however, gathered that the union got three of its demands while it relinquished one to the government.

The Federal Government agreed to present evidence of payment, implement the non-victimisation clause and that the agreement was open to re-negotiation in 2014.

But it was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, MacJohn Nwaobiala, who signed the agreement on behalf of the government contrary to the demand of the union.

ASUU President, Dr. Nasir Faggae, signed on behalf of the union while the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Abdulwaheed Omar, signed as a witness to the agreement.

The Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, who presided over the meeting, said there was “no victor no vanquished” in the dispute.

He said the Federal Government was alive to its responsibility to restore normalcy to the university system.

- Source