ASUU has been on strike since February 14 to press home their demand for improved funding for universities, and a review of salaries for lecturers, among other issues.
The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has reacted to the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
Ortom appealed to the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to work together and resolve the ongoing strike.
Recall that ASUU has been on strike since February 14 to press home their demand for improved funding for universities, and a review of salaries for lecturers, among other issues.
Following the lingering strike, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, on behalf of the federal government, dragged ASUU before the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN).
On September 21, the court ruled that the ASUU strike be put on hold and all public universities are to be re-opened while the lecturers return to their duty posts.
However, the striking lecturers appealed court ruling, insisting that they will not return to the classroom until the government meet their demands.
Speaking on Thursday at the inauguration of some projects at Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University in Makurdi, Ortom asked both ASUU and the FG to shift ground to resolve the union’s ongoing strike.
Ortom, who was represented by the Commissioner for Education, Sarwuan Tarnongo, lamented the prolonged strike has affected the education development in the country negatively.
He said, “I also wish to seize this opportunity to appeal to the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the Federal Government to shift grounds on the negotiation table, resolve the lingering strike by ASUU in the interest of the students and state of education in Nigeria and re-open the universities for resumption of academic activities.”