The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has said it does not see Tuesday’s encounter with the Federal Government’s team over the lingering strike by its members as a meeting.
This, the union said is because it has concluded everything with the Prof. Nimi Briggs Committee that the government sent to talk with it that day.
This was stated in a chat with Vanguard by a member of the National Executive Council of the union, Prof. Moyosore Ajao.
“Apart from the fact that the team came with nothing new other than to beg us to call off the strike, we concluded our meetings with the Briggs Committee on June 15, this year, so what do we have to do with them?
“Moreover, their claim that they are going to incorporate our demands in next year’s budget if frivolous. What are they going to incorporate? Have we agreed on anything? For instance, regarding salary, they have not said this is what the salary will be and we have not also said we are accepting that.
“As far as we are concerned, the government has not negotiated those issues with us.
“The government is carrying about a bag of deceit and we will not fall for that. Let Nigerians ask the government what they are offering. So far, they have not offered anything,” he said.
Ajao, who is also the University of Ilorin Branch Chairman of ASUU, stated that members of the union were not insensitive to the plight of students, adding that everything is meant to make the sector better.
Recall that hope rose on Tuesday that the meeting between the two parties could lead to the resolution of the face-off.
However, ASUU members walked out when the FG team only came to beg them and did not bring anything new to the table.
ASUU members have been on strike since February 14, this year, while non-academic staff unions also embarked on strike few weeks after, effectively paralysing activities in public universities.
