Senate moves to stop planned nationwide strike

 

The Senate has promised to weigh in on the planned one-week warning strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

ASUU had on Monday announced that activities in Universities across the country would be shut down over the inability of the Federal Government to implement agreements reached with it since 2009.

On Tuesday, November 15, the upper chamber pledged to intervene in the matter following a motion moved by Sen. Jibrin Barau (APC-Kano North) under matters of urgent national importance.

Barau is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TetFund.

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, urged the chamber to engage relevant stakeholders and ensure that the 2009 agreement is fully implemented.

He said: "We must find a way of seeing to the implementation and we will look into the matter quickly.

"We will also get the relevant parties to quickly come to the table so that we can find a way of moving forward and report back to us."

While reading the motion, Barau urged the government to implement all agreements.

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He also urged the Muhammadu Buhari administration to make frantic efforts in ensuring the development of Nigerian public universities.

Also speaking, Senator Danjuma Goje (APC-Gombe Central) lamented the historical ASUU strike, describing it as a recurring decimal.

"It is a disturbing issue to parents and students. There is need to nip it in the bud. We should not allow it to escalate," Goje said.

He said the motion was apt and called on the senate to engage the leadership of ASUU to shelve its planned strike.