FG/ASUU meeting deadlocked

WEDNESDAY'S meeting between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the strike, declared on Sunday, ended in a deadlock.The meeting, which lasted for about five hours, had the representatives of the government, led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim and the ASUU leadership led by its national president, Comrade Ukachukwu Awuzie.Awuzie and his team stormed out of the meeting at about 8.00 p.m. and declined to speak with journalists who had waited at the lobby of the office of the SGF, where the meeting was held.However, the Minister of Labour, Chukwuemeka Wogu, who initially told journalists that the Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa'i was mandated to brief the press, said the issues had been resolved.Wogu told newsmen that the meeting was adjourned till an undisclosed date, since according to him, the meeting had lasted for too long.Briefing journalists on the outcome of the meeting, the Minister of Education said that the meeting was fruitful.She revealed that one of the issues raised at the meeting was to reconstitute the disbanded joint committee on the implementation of the FGN/ASUU 2009 Agreement.According to her, the new committee will be charged with the responsibility of monitoring the implementation of the agreement.Ruqayyatu appealed to the members of ASUU to call off the strike, while allowing negotiation to continue, in the interest of the school children.She reiterated her call for the ASUU leadership to prevail on their members to return to the classroom.
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