SAN FRANCISCO, August 17, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government’s efforts to make the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to call off its nationwide Strike failed on Thursday as it’s meeting with the union ended.

It was gathered that the two sides failed to reach an agreement on the demand of the union that universities should be exempted from the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

While the Federal Government asked the lecturers to end their strike, but both parties did not agree on the TSA and ASUU consequently rejected the FG’s request to call off the strike.

The government admitted wrongdoing and appealed to the lecturers to call off the strike immediately, but the appeal was rejected by ASUU leaders, who pleaded for time to meet their members because of the TSA.

THEWILL recalls that ASUU had on Sunday called a nationwide strike over the failure of the Federal Government to implement the 2009 agreement between the two sides.

ASUU President, Biodun Ogunyemi, had, at a press conference listed the areas in dispute in the current industrial action to include funding for the revitalisation of public universities, earned academic allowances, the registration of the Nigerian Universities Pension Management Company and pension matters, fractionalisation and non-payment of salaries and the issue of universities’ staff schools.

Addressing journalists after the meeting, Minister for Labour, Dr Chris Ngige, stated that the government was expecting feedback from ASUU on the overtures made to it, adding that the union promised to return to the negotiation table within one week.

He explained that the government position was drafted by the Ministers of Education (Adamu Adamu); Labour and Employment (Ngige); Finance, (Kemi Adeosun); and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and was communicated to ASUU.

“Within the last 48 hours, the government has been working; the Minister of Education, Minister of Finance, Attorney General of the Federation met and we have taken some government positions which we have communicated to ASUU leaders to take back to their members to see if that is adequate enough for them to call off the strike,” he stated.

“The major issue is that we want the strike called off so that our children in school can write their degree and promotion exams. ASUU leaders said they will come back to us on a date within the next one week. It will not be later than one week.”

On his part, Ogunyemi said he would not go into the specifics of the offers made by the government until he met with his members but made it known that the union would not call off the strike.

“Like the minister said, government has made offers on the issues we have raised, but we have to get back to our members for them to consider the offers and advise us. Based on their position, we will come back to government, hopefully within the next one week,” he said.

“The offers are for our members and when we meet with them, we will come back and reveal all we agreed on.

“The leadership of the union did not call the strike, our members did, and they will decide when to suspend the strike.”