The Academic Staff Union of Universities says it is open to the Progressives Governors Forum’s offer to take over negotiation aimed at ending the ongoing strike if it will be sincere.
National Vice-President, ASUU, Dr. Christopher Piwuna, disclosed this in an interview on Wednesday.
It was reported that the PGF Chairman, who also is the Kebbi State Governor, Abubakar Bagudu, had, on Tuesday, said the forum would like to take over the negotiation when he led his colleagues on a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The FG’s refusal to sign the demands of ASUU and the August 16, 2022, last negotiation meeting which ended in a deadlock made the union declare a total indefinite strike on Monday.
Fiona said, “They (the governors) have not informed us, they have not reached out to us to tell us this but the issue of education concerns every Nigerian, so there is nothing wrong for them to show interest so that this matter is settled in the best interest of the country and our best interest and everyone interested in education. They should be concerned as Nigerians because they have been elected to office to solve problems.
“We hope the intervention will be genuine and based on respect for collective bargaining. We don’t want to be roped into any discussion that will appear as if we are going to jettison our collective bargaining.”
Corroborating Piwuna, University of Lagos ASUU Chairman, Dr. Dele Ashiru, said, “It is a welcome development if they have the mandate of the FG to negotiate on its behalf. The challenge we have is the government’s insincerity. It set up the Babalakin Committee, Jubril team, and Nimi-Briggs now, yet all the reports were kicked out. If they will negotiate and eventually sign whatever is renegotiated, our union is open to interventions from all well-meaning Nigerians, including the governors.”
