President Jonathan will re-open Universities with or without agreement!

Honestly I'm tired of this whole game. I hav been waiting for the outcome of the ASUU deliberation but nothing yet.

The ASUU strike 2013 continues, and the latest update is a confirmation that President Goodluck Jonathan will re-open the universities, with or without an agreement with the union.

A union leader told This Day Live that it has received information confirming a report by Scan News that the president will open the universities regardless of whether an agreement is reached.

It appears, though, that the meeting may in fact culminate in an agreement.

The 13-hour meeting at the presidential villa began around 2:40 p.m. on Monday and went until 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday, ASUU President Dr. Nasir Isa Faggae told reporters.

Fagge said that the the union members will be presented with a new offer by the federal government.

"We have had lengthy meeting with Mr. President, rubbing minds on how best to address the problem of university education in this country," he said. 

"And we now have a message from Mr. President we are going to take to our members. And we are expecting that our members will respond appropriately to the message of Mr. President."

On whether the lecturers are going back to the classroom, he said: "That is up to our members."

Asked what the message was, he said: "I can't tell you. Its not for you. It is for our members."

Emeka Wogu, the minister of labor, told reporters that "we mage progress."

"The president of ASUU told you that they are going back with a message from the federal government back to their members," he added. "And the message is a message full of high expectations and hope."

The strike may be called off at any time, Wogu said.

At the beginning of the meeting, President Jonathan said: "I hope this strike will end today. Our children have suffered enough. We must find a solution."

He was answered by those in attendance, including Vice President Namadi Sambo and Faggae, by "amen."

The union recently rejected an offer from the federal government of $200 billion, which had been increased from the previous offers of  $130 billion and $150 billion.

Dr. Thephilus Lagithe, the branch chairman of the union at Nassarawa State University Keffi, said that the federal government actually owes the union $100 billion that was supposed to be paid last year, in addition to $400 billion for this year. Lagithe told the Leadership that next year the government is supposed to pay an additional $500 billion.

The strike started in July after the union claimed that the government isn't following an agreement reached in 2009. Senators recently expressed shock over the demands of the union.

Union leaders say that if President Jonathan really does order the re-opening of universities without an agreement, it will meet with stiff resistance. 

SOURCE : Epoch Times

We still dey wait...