HOUSE SPEAKER MEETS WITH ASUU WITH THE GOAL OF ENDING THE UNION'S SEVEN-MONTH STRIKE

Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives, has urged the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the government to change sides in the interest of Nigerian students.

The Speaker made the call during a tripartite meeting convened at his request to offer an immediate solution to the university teachers' seven-month strike.

The Speaker maintained that negotiations are about give and take, emphasizing that cards will be placed on the table to ensure the short-term plan of returning teachers to class and the long-term plan of resolving the issues on the ground.

Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, President of ASUU, bemoaned the government's indifference to the strike, noting that the government has not called for a single official meeting with lecturers since the strike began in February of this year.

More consultations are underway, according to the minister, and the government will announce its position on the matter soon.

Despite the fact that the meeting ended in a deadlock after several hours of closed-door deliberations, the speaker stated that the House will present its resolutions from the meeting to the president upon his return from the 77th United Nations General Assembly for a final decision.