ASUU Strike: "We Will Explore Other Options If Industrial Action Continues Beyond Next Week" – Federal Government

Chris Ngige, the Nigeria Minister of Labour and Employment, has stated that the Federal Government will explore the provisions of the labour law and different channels if the strike set out upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) proceeds after following week's meeting with the union.

The Minister, who expressed confidence that the strike will be called off one week from now, expressed that the FG has on a few events engaged ASUU to call off the industrial action they embarked upon on March 24, 2020.

ASUU embarked on an indefinite strike due to the failure of the government to fulfill the agreements reached in 2009 and the disagreement over the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System rejected by ASUU.

Ngige spoke during a live programme on Channels Television, Politics Today on Friday.

He further expressed that the government had already met 6 out of the 9 demands of the striking lecturers.

He disclosed that the Federal Government has been arranging side meetings and collating responses from the Accountant General of the Federation’s office and every concerned party.

He added, “UTAS has yet to be ready but government will not discourage them. And we have told them there is no need using the same old method of strike to make demands since such had been deployed since 2017.”

He also disclosed that the government had concurred to release N30bn out of the N40bn demanded by the union as the payment for November 2019 and September 2020.

He added that the remaining N10bn would be paid throughout a specified timeframe.