ASUU Agrees To Suspend Strike After Secret Meeting, Gives Jonathan Three Conditions

University lecturers in Nigeria have agreed to end the five-month old strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, if the federal government agrees to three conditions, according to the Nigerian Eye. The three conditions are expected to be made known to President Goodluck Jonathan today, after which the strike will be called off and if an agreement is reached. Although, ASUU has forbidden its local chapters and zonal chairmen from talking to the press until the end of the session. A source, who was part of the ASUU session, which was held at Mambayya House in Kano, however revealed the conditions as: 1. Commitment from the President that any review or reconsideration or renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement will not substantially affect the pact which is the cause of the ongoing strike; 2. Immediate payment of all outstanding salary arrears and allowances of varsity teachers without victimization; and 3. A written commitment from the President that the Federal Government will commit N225 billion annually to the funding of universities for the next four years. According to the source, “Our leaders are meeting with the President on Monday to table these conditions. Once the President accepts these three terms, the strike will be called off. “In principle, members voted about 60-40 per cent to call off the strike, but they added a caveat – that ASUU leaders should extract a commitment (signed and sealed) from the President.” “It became imperative for ASUU to makes these demands, as it became obvious that the FG wanted the 2009 Agreement to be renegotiated. “If ASUU had accepted to renegotiate the entire Agreement, it means there will be no basis for the ongoing strike. The worst that can happen is either having the abridged version of the 2009 Agreement or a phased implementation of the document,” the source added. He also added that the conditions are not just three, but the fourth is “personal” to ASUU.