Strike: FG, ASUU meet again, Ngige confident of resumption in January

Strike: FG, ASUU meet again, Ngige confident of resumption in January
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, has said expressed confidence that university students who have been at home since March would resume in January 2021.

Ngige spoke in Alor, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State on Monday just as the spokesman of his Ministry, Charles Akpan, in Abuja issued a statement announcing another meeting between the Federal Government and the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

The Minister said the Federal Government had met 98 per cent of the demands of the ASUU.

Speaking during the launch of a medical outreach for his people, he said: “We have met about 98 per cent of the request of ASUU.

“The remaining two per cent is what you can call promissory notes.

“So, I am very hopeful that by midnight of Monday, there are some works we are supposed to get on to do.

“They also have some work they are supposed to do on their own side with their people.

“We will be meeting in the afternoon of Tuesday to compare notes.

“I believe that we might have come to the end of the strike after the meeting.

“It is a journey of a thousand miles, which you will have to take one step first.

“Tomorrow, all things being equal, we will agree because we were disagreeing before.

“We disagree to agree and agree to disagree formerly.

“But tomorrow, I hope we will agree to agree.

“Once we do that, schools will open in January.”

In Abuja, Akpan said the Federal Government and the leadership of the ASUU would again meet on Tuesday.

The last meeting between the two parties was last week Thursday.

None of the parties spoke with newsmen after the meeting that lasted over five hours.