NASS, FG urge ASUU to call off strikeAs the industrial action embarked upon by theAcademic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, entersit second month, the leadership of the NationalAssembly, NASS, and Federal Government,yesterday, appealed to the lectures to end the strike. The NASS and FG made the plea after a meeting withPro-Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors of publicuniversities in Abuja. They pleaded that the FG has made offers andcommitment to necessitate the resumption ofacademic activities in the nation’s publicuniversities. According to Senate Chairman on Education,Senator Uche Chukwumerije, “The SenateCommittee has always sought the required fund forour nation’s universities. We plead with ASUU for immediate end of the strike. We want to plead with lecturers to be moresensitive to their scale of priorities especially in thearea of education and timely implementations ofagreements. The present ASUU strike must end. It istime for the nation to take the bull by the horn”. Chairman House Committee on Education,Honourable Aminu Suleiman said, “I want tocommend all those who have fought for the properfunding of our universities in the country. TheFederal Government have also taken position toidentify the needs of all our Federal Polytechnics and Colleges of Education to stop this problem onceand for all. “It is gratifying to know that government hasshifted grounds and it is also in our position topassionately appeal to the aggrieved members ofASUU in the interest of the system to also makeconcession so that students can resume school”. He noted, “We always agree to disagree we canalways disagree without disrupting the system. Wemust appreciate that by prolonging this strike weare doing more harm to the system and causingmore problems for the country in general. What government has done is quite in line with thelegislative agenda which we set out for ourselvesas members of House of Representatives. Nosacrifice is too much in ensuring the developmentof the sector”. The SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, said the FG hasalready demonstrated sufficient commitment to theimplementation of 2009 FG/ASUU agreement. He said President Goodluck Jonathan has set N100billion to develop infrastructure in 61 universitiesand N30 billion to support the university councils insettling the earned allowances. The SGF therefore appealed to the universityteachers to call of the two months old strike.