By EZEKIEL OBI, Abuja –
The Federal Government has expressed optimism that the decisions reached at its tripartite plus meeting with the university-based unions would start yielding fruits next week.
This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by Mr Olajide Oshundun, Head, Press and Public Relations in the ministry.
Oshundun quoted the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige as saying this while addressing newsmen at the end of the meeting on the on-going strike by unions in the education sector.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) are currently on strike.
Also on strike are the Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
The unions are pushing for improved welfare packages and better working environments.
“We had cordial and fruitful discussion; we looked at the issues dispassionately and reached some agreements, to the satisfaction of everybody in attendance”, Ngige said.
He said the discussion was moved out of the Labour Ministry to make it tripartite plus because the government brought in some interested parties in a bid to resolve disputes.
He said that the parties included the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) headed by the Sultan of Sokoto; Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), led by Rev. Sampson Ayokunle, NIREC co- chairman.
“ The four unions will also go and brief their members, so that they can call off the strike,” he said.
The minister also said some issues such as the 2009 agreement as it affects the renegotiation of condition of service and wage review could be concluded next week.
The statement also quoted the Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the tripartite meeting, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, as informing the meeting that President Muhammadu Buhari had directed him to pilot the meeting.
Gambari said the team comprises of the Ministers of Labour, Finance and Education would work with ASUU leaders and stakeholders find a lasting solution to the perennial strikes in our education system.
He said that the perennial problems had culminated in the mutilation of the nation’s educational calendar.
Gambari assured that Mr President was determined to put an end to this negative development by
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