The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has backtracked to the claims of the Federal Government to have reached an agreement with the union.
Speaking with Tribune, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, the President of ASUU denied the claims by the Federal Government.
Prof Ogunyemi said the negotiation between ASUU and the Federal Government is still inconclusive as the team that represented the union at the meeting has no final say concerning the decision making as a body on matters of such magnitude.
The President of the union stated that what they had on ground now is a proposal from the government which ASUU insisted must be written down showing her plans of action unlike all along since the commencement of the two-month-old strike that government always made verbal proposals.
Prof Ogunyemi said, “it was just yesterday (Tuesday) that government sent the proposal to us without waiting for feedback before going to the public that we have reached an agreement. Asuu does not operate in that manner.”
“The Asuu team that met the Federal Government,” he noted, “would have to consult our principal over the proposal which we are already doing.”
He disclosed that the said principal represents various organs of Asuu who will in turn pass any resolution at that level on to the National Executive Committee and then, final decision can be made.
“So, ASUU cannot make pronouncement on a mere proposal. Until our principal agrees, there is no agreement. And that is what we have always emphasised to government that we are going to consult our members and if after consultation, our members think the proposal is good enough, we will get back to government and tell them that now, we have taken a decision which becomes an agreement. But so far on government proposal, we have not taken a decision. And our strike is still ongoing,” he said.
