The leadership of the House of Representatives, has taken a step towards ending the lingering rift between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU).
The resolution by the Green Chamber to seek a lasting solution that would prevent subsequent strike actions by ASUU followed a Motion sponsored by Sesi Oluwaseun Whingan, the lawmaker representing Badagry federal constituency.
Recall that ASUU had recently announced its plan to embark on a two-week warning strike pending the Federal Government’s resolve to meet the demands listed in its agreement with the union.
The FG, in response to ASUU’s warning, announced a “no work, no pay” policy while admonishing lecturers to return to classrooms.
However, Whingan, in his Motion, called on both the FG and ASUU to embrace dialogue and prioritise the interests of students, whom he said are at the receiving end of this crisis.
Reacting to the Motion, Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas said he would be leading an ad-hoc committee that would function as a mediator between the Federal Government and the union. In addition, the lawmakers called for the establishment of a sustainable joint consultative platform that would be recognised by both parties for future engagements and communication.
According to Whingan, the push for this Motion stems from the recent declaration of a 2-week warning strike by ASUU over some of the demands yet to be met by the FG.
The lawmaker said that this warning strike, among other industrial actions previously taken by the academic staff unions, has continued to impede the lives of students across government-owned tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
He further urged the Government and the union to embrace dialogue anchored on transparency and mutual respect for all parties to bring a lasting solution to the challenge.
