The ASUU strike 2013 continues, but
the latest update is that the union may
call off the strike on Monday.
The union held a two-day National
Executive Meeting on Friday and
Saturday, and a source says that the
union may call off the strike on
Monday, after meeting with Nigerian
President Goodluck Jonathan.
The main caveat would be a stipulation
thatthe Central Bank of Nigeria and a
fiscal commission monitor the
agreement between the union and the
federal government.
“We may call off the strike on Monday,”
the insider told the Leadership.
“It is one of the decisions we reached
at NEC meeting,” the source added.
The union will meet with the president
on Sunday or Monday, the source said,
and issue an announcement on
Monday regarding its decision.
The union leadership unanimously
decided to involve the central bank
and the Revenue Mobilisation
Allocation and Fiscal Commission in the
agreement, the source said.
Among the other issues discussed at
the so-called “secret meeting” was
how to deal with the universities that
have announced that they will re-open
without union consent.
The news comes after a tumultuous
last couple weeks for the union.
Besides the break-away universities,
the union has faced increasing
criticism from officials and the public
over the prolonged strike.
The union appeared to be prepared to
end the strike on November 20 and
officially announce that it had done so
the next day. But former union
president Festus Iyayi suddenly died
from a car accident on his way to the
NEC meeting, so the meeting was
postponed.
People weren’t sure when the meeting
would be rescheduled, and the union
has remained secretive about its
actions after the crash. The two-day
meeting just held was referred to as
the “secret meeting” because there
was no official announcement and the
only information gathered about it
came from anonymous sources.