THE Academic Staff Union of Universities in Nigeria (ASUU) has suspended its five-month old strike, just as the Federal Government reiterated that it is committed to investing N1.3 trillion in public universities in the next six years, to transform the institutions.
The union announced the suspension of the strike in Minna, Niger State, after its National Executive Committee (NEC) agreed on new funding terms with the Federal Government.
The announcement comes with a huge relief to Nigerian university students who have been out of school since the strike began in July.
ASUU NEC has, therefore, directed its branches nationwide to resume work immediately and urges the Federal Government to implement their December 11 resolutions.
The supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, responding to the suspension of the five- month old strike by ASUU, said Federal Government will invest N1.3 trillion in public universities in the next six years.
He said that part of the fund would be used to revitalise infrastructure in public universities to transform them into international centers of excellence.
The minister restated the Federal Government’s commitment to the implementation of all the resolution reached with the ASUU.
According to him, President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, more than any other previous administrations, has invested heavily in the revival of basic and tertiary education in the country.
He said this was because it considered education as a veritable source of empowering less privileged Nigerians to achieve their life ambitions.
He disclosed that that the government had inaugurated an Implementation Monitoring Committee on the agreement under the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The minister said that the committee’s membership consisted of ASUU, SSANU, Committee of Vice- Chancellors, and Committee of Pro-Chancellors and other stakeholders, to ensure proper implementation of the agreement.
Meanwhile, the National Coordinator, National Parent-Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), Chief Babs Animashaun, yesterday described lecturers’ suspension of their five-month-old strike as the best Christmas gift to Nigerians.
Animashaun spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos shortly after ASUU suspended the strike.
Animashaun said that the suspension was heartwarming and a sign of good things to come in 2014.
“With this development, ASUU has given the whole nation, the best Christmas present and a cause to merry.
“We, as parents, indeed want to thank the lecturers for the long struggle and all they went through in ensuring that some sanity is restored in our public universities”.
Also reacting, Prof. Chiedu Mafiana, Director, Quality Assurance, National Universities Commission, said that the development was welcome and long overdue.
Mafiana told NAN on telephone that the Federal Government’s signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ASUU set the pace for the calling off of the strike.
Dr Olubunmi Ajibade, Senior Lecturer, Mass Communication Department, University of Lagos, said that suspending the strike after much deliberation was a welcome development.
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