Senate appeals to ASUU to call off strike

chika ebuzor

August 17, 2017 4:10 AM

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions, made the appeal while addressing newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja.

Senate President Bukola Saraki

The Senate has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), to call off its ongoing strike in the interest of the students and Nigerians in general.

Sen. Jibrin Barau, Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND, made the appeal while addressing newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said that while the senate sympathised with the union, its members should call off the strike while negotiating with the Federal Government towards finding lasting solution to the problem.

Barau said the Senate, in a letter sent to it by ASUU, learnt that part of the grievance was lack of confidence in the committee set up by the federal government to re-negotiate the 2009 agreement.

The lawmaker recalled that when the union declared warning strike earlier this year, the Senate intervened and ensured that the problem did not linger.

He said that ASUU did not report back to the senate on the difficulties it had in the re-negotiation with the committee before embarking on the strike.

He urged the union to re-consider its position and return to the re-negotiation to save the students, parents and the entire nation the negative effects that would result from the action.

Barau assured that the committee would monitor the settlement process between ASUU and the committee set up by the Federal Government to ensure amicable resolution of the problem.

He said: “Let me say that we are very concerned about what is happening in our universities.

“The Senate and indeed, the National Assembly, has been in the forefront of making sure that we act swiftly whenever it is necessary to nip in the bud any problem that is rearing its head.

“I want to say that it was the reason why we decided to intervene immediately when the warning strike action was about to take place and we did all our best to bring the two teams together to negotiate.

“That was what led to the setting up of the Wale Babalakin committee.

“ASUU raised issues that had to do with their allowances and part of it was captured in the supplementary budget that we passed as of that time.

“In the subsequent budgets, some of these areas were also taken care of.”

Asked if the Senate would promulgate law to bar Nigerians from taking their children outside the country to study, Barau said that such law would not be in the best interest of Nigeria.