There
are indications that the Federal Government may seek the intervention
of past Presidents/Heads of States, Governors, traditional rulers and
serving Senators to mediate in its current face-off with the Academic
Staff Union of Universities.
The supervisory Minister of Education,
Nyesom Wike, said this on Wednesday in Abuja during a palliative meeting
with the President of Nigeria Union of Teachers, Michael Olukoya; and
Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu.
Olukoya had suggested that following the
inability of the committees earlier set up to settle the crisis, the
Federal Government should seek the intervention of past presidents,
governors, traditional rulers and serving senators.
He also said that the NUT still stood
by its threat to solidarise with ASUU over the university teachers’
demands unless directed otherwise by the union’s National Executive
Council.
Olukoya said, “With the way this strike
has lingered on for three months, we believe government should explore
all modalities to end it. Government should invite past heads of states,
speakers, senators, Ministers of Labour and Education and every other
stakeholder in the sector to resolve this ugly situation.
“Call powerful voices like traditional
leaders to intervene in this strike because our concern as teachers is
that as these undergraduates stay at home, they are prone to negative
vices and in turn these are the same people that would lead the society
in future.”
Wike said government was looking at the suggestion by NUT.
He said, “We have met to dialogue on the
way forward to the crisis in the education sector. The meeting went
very well and it was very cordial with respect to the crisis between
ASUU and Federal Government.
“We have put our heads together and we
have taken all the ideas, both the one we suggested and the one NUT
suggested and we are going to move it forward. The suggestions by NUT
were quite good and the ones we suggested were also quite good and we
have put them together. Just watch out what is going to happen very
soon.”
The Minister was however evasive on when the strike would be called off.
No comments:
Post a Comment