By 
Tayo AFOLABI
The National Executive Council, NEC, meeting of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has accused the Federal Government of trust deficit.
The National President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, made the allegation just as he said his union was yet to officially get any offer from the government’s side.
ASUU is expected to hold its NEC meeting on Monday next week to decide on the offers by the Federal Government for it to end its ongoing strike.
The meeting promises to be a decisive one and may determine whether the government would axe the union as being contemplated.
This is just as a member of the NEC revealed in confidence that whatever would be the decision of the union, would be in the best interest of the university system.
“We have been negotiating with them through collective bargaining and whatever they have should not be made to us on the pages of newspapers. It should be done the way it is expected to be done. Our main problem with the government is that there is trust deficit. They will say something and will do another thing.
“After the Memorandum of Action was signed last year with them, they were supposed to pay some money in two tranches starting from August last year, but they did not do the needful.
“As for other unions suspending their actions, ASUU is not a one man show, we will look collectively at whatever is presented to us. But as at now, nothing has been officially offered,” he said.
Recall that the union has been on strike since February 14 and three weeks ago, extended it for another four weeks that would terminate next Monday.
Non-teaching staff, under the aegis of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Allied Institutions, NASU, have already suspended their industrial actions and are set to resume work Wednesday this week.
Also, the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, is holding its NEC meeting this Thursday and would also suspend its action, leaving ASUU as the only university staff union still on strike.
This is just as parents, under the aegis of the National Parents Teachers Association of Nigeria, NAPTAN, have called on ASUU to take the offers by the government first, while pending issues are being addressed.
The National President, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, on Monday, said though the expectations of the striking workers might not be fully met, it is better to have something to hold on to than having nothing.
“I have got information about what the government is offering, regarding salaries and payment of allowances. As our children have been at home for all this while, their future is of essence. The Briggs Committee proposed higher salary, in the region of over one million naira monthly for a professor, but what is being offered is short of that. The truth is that all the sides cannot get everything they want.
“We are losing lecturers to other nations, while valuable time is wasted on strike. There will always be a mid course to take and my suggestion is that ASUU should take the offers first while other issues are being sorted out,” he counselled.
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