ABUJA, Oct 22 (The African Portal) – Nigeria’s Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its two-week warning strike after overnight talks by its leadership, the union’s president said on Wednesday.
ASUU President Chris Piwuna told reporters in Abuja that the decision followed a meeting of the union’s National Executive Council, which ended around 4 a.m.
Piwuna said the suspension came after “useful engagements” with government representatives over the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, a long-running issue in labour relations between the union and the federal government.
“We’ve had useful engagements with representatives of the government to consider the response to the draft renegotiation of the 2009 agreements,” Piwuna said. “While noting that more work is still required, the NEC resolved to suspend the warning strike to reciprocate the efforts of well-meaning Nigerians.”
The two-week strike, which began on October 13, was called to protest what ASUU described as government delays in meeting its key demands, including the completion of the renegotiated 2009 agreement, payment of withheld salaries and arrears, and sustainable funding for public universities.
ASUU is also demanding the release of withheld cooperative deductions, payment of promotion arrears dating back more than four years, and an end to the alleged victimisation of lecturers at Lagos State University, Prince Abubakar Audu University, and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri.
The suspension of the warning strike is expected to allow for further dialogue between the union and government officials aimed at preventing a full-scale industrial action.
