President Muhammadu Buhari has, today, Friday, September 16, 2022, met with the Chairman and selected members of Pro-Chancellors of Federal Universities in Nigeria at the State House, in Abuja.
This was revealed to CEOAFRICA in a statement by the Presidential spokesman, Dr Femi Adesina.
According to the statement, President met with the Pro-Chancellors,towards ending the protracted strike by university lecturers, under the aegis of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), promising to engage in further consultations with relevant stakeholders.
The President was quoted to have told the delegation that,“without necessarily going back on what is already established policy, I will make further consultations, and I’ll get back to you.”
The Pro-Chancellors were led to the meeting by Professor Nimi Briggs, the Pro-Chancellor of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ikwo, in Ebonyi state, who said that they had come to meet with the President in three capacities, “as President and Commander-in-Chief, as father of the nation, and as Visitor to the Federal universities.”
He added that despite the pall cast by more than seven months of industrial action, “the future of university system in the country is good,” citing, as example, the recent listing of the University of Ibadan among the first 1,000 universities in the world, a development occurring for the first time.
Prof Briggs commended the Federal Government for concessions already made to the striking lecturers, including the offer to raise salaries by 23.5% across board, and 35% for Professors.
He, however, asked for “further inching up of the salary, in view of the economic situation of the country.”
The Pro-Chancellors also asked for a reconsideration of the “No-Work, No-Pay” stance of the government, promising that lecturers would make up for time lost, as soon as an amicable situation is reached, and schools reopen.
Minister of State for Education, Goodluck Nana Opiah, explained that all the concessions made by Federal Government were to ensure that the industrial action comes to an end, but ASUU has remained adamant.
Recall that universities across the nation have remained shut, following the industrial action by ASUU, since February 14, 2022.