Nigeria’s Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has resolved to suspend its eight-month-old strike conditionally.
The decision to suspend the ongoing industrial action came after an all night meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of ASUU in Abuja.
The NEC comprises chairmen of the state chapters and members of the national executive.
The meeting was convened to articulate the responses of its members and possibly suspend their strike.
Chris Piwuna, vice-president of the union, confirmed the suspension to BBC.
Piwuna said they agreed to suspend the strike conditionally based on the assurances given by the federal government to offset its salary arrears, and to meet its stated demands within given timelines.
Although details of the demands and timelines were not immediately made available, Piwuna said this will be provided in a press conference which will be addressed by the ASUU president later today.
THEWILL recalls that the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, had on Friday ordered ASUU to suspend its ongoing strike.
The appellate court gave the order in a ruling on an application by the ASUU seeking permission for it to appeal against the order of the National Industrial Court which asked the striking lecturers to resume duty.
The National Industrial Court had on September 21, granted interlocutory order in favour of the federal government, ordering the university lecturers to resume work pending the resolution of their dispute with government.
Lecturers of the Federal Government owned universities had embarked on strike since February 14, 2022, to demand release of revitalisation funds for universities; deployment of the University; Transparency Accountability System (UTAS) for the payment of salaries and allowances of university lecturers; release of earned allowances; the release of the white paper report of the visitation panels to universities and other issues involving the ASUU-FGN 2009 agreement.
The Federal Government had set up a negotiation team to look into the Union’s demand.
However, amid several failed negotiations, the Government had approached the court to order ASUU to suspend its strike while it engage the union to address the dispute.
