Indication emerged yesterday that the
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)
may call off its ongoing strike before or soon
after the Sallah celebration, as the federal
government may have caved in to the
demands of the union by meeting about 60 per
cent of what it is asking for.
This was the outcome of a closed-door meeting
between President Goodluck Jonathan
yesterday and Benue State Governor Gabriel
Suswam; Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqqayat
Rufa’i as well as some other ministers over the
current industrial action being embarked by
ASUU.
Other ministers who were at the meeting with
the president on Monday evening included the
minister of finance and the coordinating
minister of the economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-
Iweala, and Minister of Labour and Productivity,
Chief Emeka Wogu.
No official statement was issued at the end of
the meeting, as Suswam, Okonjo-Iweala and
Wogu declined to comment on the outcome of
the meeting despite effort made by State
House Correspondents to make them talk.
A reliable presidency source told LEADERSHIP
that, at the meeting, President Jonathan
directed Suswam and the ministers to do all
they could to ensure that strike is called off by
the union, saying that Jonathan was very
worried that the ASUU strike was distorting the
academic calendar, his immediate
constituency.
leadership.ng/news/070813/ASUU-may-call-strike-or-after-sallah