The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, on Tuesday, was issued with a two-week ultimatum to resolve the five months strike action embarked by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and three other university-based unions.
President Muhammadu Buhari issued the order in a meeting he summoned while recieving briefings from the relevant government Ministries, Agencies and Departments involved in resolving the face-off with the university unions.
He told the Minister to report directly to him within two weeks.
The President called for the meeting to get first hand briefing from the government team on why the impasse had lingered for too long.
The meeting was attended by various departments and agencies and ministeries relating to the strike.
Those at the meeting were the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr. Zainab Ahmed, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Ngige.
Others were the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, the Head of Service of the Federation, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan, the Chairman of National Salaries Income and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta, the Director-General Budget Office, Ben Akabueze.
ASUU went on one month warning strike on February 14, and was joined by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists, (NAAT).
The strike was as a result of the Federal government’s inability to reach an agreement with the ASUU demands.
The Network gathered that the President mandated the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige to as a matter of urgency be in all of the negotiating meetings to end the strike.
It was also learned that the President also instructed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, (SGF), Boss Mustapha, to be part of the team to interface with the striking unions.
