The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its ongoing two-week warning strike following a resolution reached at an emergency meeting of its National Executive Council (NEC).
The National President of ASUU, Prof. Chris Piwuna, announced the suspension during a press briefing held in Abuja on Wednesday. He explained that the decision was reached after a marathon NEC meeting that began Tuesday night and ended around 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday.
According to Piwuna, the union had embarked on the strike due to the federal government’s failure to meet its long-standing demands, including issues surrounding the renegotiation of the 2009 agreements.
“We’ve had useful engagements with representatives of the government on the draft renegotiation of the 2009 agreements. While we are not yet where we should be, there has been noticeable progress since the strike began,” Piwuna said.
He noted that the government’s return to the negotiation table and the interventions of students, parents, and the Nigeria Labour Congress influenced the union’s decision to review its action.
“Consequently, NEC resolved to suspend the warning strike to reciprocate the efforts of well-meaning Nigerians,” the ASUU president stated.
The union, however, emphasized that while the suspension marks a gesture of goodwill, it expects the government to demonstrate genuine commitment to addressing the outstanding issues in the interest of the nation’s university system.
