Government, Striking Lecturers Agree

The stage for the suspension of the five-month-old strike by the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities, ASUU, was set on Wednesday, December 11, 2013 as the union and the Federal government reached a compromise with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU. The strike began on July 1, 2013.

Both parties, however, refused to reveal the details of the agreement to journalists. According to Thisday newspaper, the union made the signing of the MoU, which details the agreement it reached with President Goodluck Jonathan at a marathon meeting on November 4, 2013, a precondition for suspending the strike. Wednesday's agreement was signed by ASUU President, Dr. Nasir Fagge and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Dr. MacJohn Nwaobiala.

The Supervising Minister of Education, Barr. Nyesom Wike, who led the Federal Government team, said the fact that ASUU signed the resolution meant that the strike had already been called off. Dr. Nasir Fagge promised that the signed document will be presented to ASUU to take a stand on suspending the industrial action, Vanguard newspaper reported. He pledged that with the signing of the MoU, the strike will be suspended in a week's time.

The union had among other things demanded proof of government's payment of 200 billion Naira (about FCFA 602 billion) into a Central Bank of Nigeria account for the funding of public universities and the inclusion of a non-victimisation of striking lecturers clause in any agreement.