striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), with the
hope of prevailing on them to return to the classroom.
In a statement yesterday in Abuja by his Chief Press Secretary,
Paul Mumeh, the Senate President said there were indications
that the four-month-old industrial dispute would soon be
resolved.
Mark said ASUU officials decried the lingering crisis, which has
taken its toll on the nation.
Mark spoke in Abuja during a meeting with ASUU leaders, led by
the union's President, Dr Nasir Fagge.
Those at the meeting included Prof Festus Iyayi, Dr. Dipo Fashina,
Prof Abdullahi Sule-Kano, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, Prof Victor
Osodeke, Dr. A. B. Baffa, Prof Suleiman Abdul, Dr. Victor Igbum
and Mr. Michael Odunmorayo.
The Senate President noted that the strike had brought hardship
to students, parents and the lecturers.
He said: "It is time we resolve this matter in the interest of the
nation.
"This is not a case of winners or losers. It is not a matter of
ego. National interest is at stake. We must do all that is
necessary to resolve this matter so that students and teachers
can return to classrooms.
"Nobody is happy about the strike, which is in its fourth month.
Nobody is happy that our education system is threatened by this
ugly development. Let us end this strike for good."
Dr Fagge said the struggle was necessitated by the need to
improve the infrastructure and learning environment in
universities.
He said the striking lecturers wished to produce graduates who
could be as good as their counterparts in other parts of the
world.
The union leader stressed that the strike did not profit the
lecturers but was a needed sacrifice for the government to do
the right thing in the Education sector.
He said: "We are not just lecturers; we are also parents and
students. So, the strike is also affecting us negatively."
The meeting later went into a closed-door session for about
two-and-a-half hours.
The University of Jos (UNIJOS) chapter of the ASUU has said it is
not against a dialogue with the Federal Government.
But it said the strike lingered for over four months because of
the government's high-handedness.
The union stressed that its dialogue with the government would
have been fruitful, if the government had respected the
agreement it signed with the union in 2009 as well as acted on
the NEEDS Assessment Report.
A joint statement by the UNIJOS Chairman of the union, Dr. David
Jangkam, and the Secretary, Dr. Wamnang, said: "Anything
contrary or not based on a clear acceptance of the framework
for implementing the 2009 agreement and NEEDS Assessment
Report will be an imposition which will not be the solution to the
present crisis."
The statement added that the agreements were well
documented and could not be jettisoned under any guise.
The UNJOS-ASUU urged President Goodluck Jonathan to follow
the principles of the agreement to resolve the face-off, instead
of applying high-handed tactics.
It hailed ASUU's national leadership for sticking to its guns on the
strike.
