University strikes: Government is ready for business – Buhari assures

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured that the federal government is ready for business to end the perennial strike in Nigerian universities.

The Nigerian presidency in a statement indicated that the outcome of the meeting held by President Buhari on Tuesday with relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)  to end the agitations by university unions ought to be beyond spin-doctoring and conjectures. “It is a pity that almost all media houses allowed themselves to be deceived by interested sources that are not the authorized spokesmen of government,” the Presidency decried.

The stated that neither during nor after the meeting was any ultimatum given to the Minister of Education. It narrated that during the meeting, the Minister of Education requested that the Minister of Labour hands off the negotiation to allow him lead and conclude what he had earlier started with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). And he promised that he could get an agreement within the shortest possible time, possibly two to three weeks, the presidency added.

The statement further read: “In carrying out this assignment, the Minister will carry along all relevant ministries and agencies with statutory functions and duties relating to the issues involved.

“The Presidency is optimistic that agreements can be reached in an even shorter period if all parties/stakeholders are not unrealistically obstinate. We appeal to the parties to work together to end the strikes.

“On the part of the administration, all doors remain open for dialogue and the resolution of the issues.

“We appeal to the media does not try to spread misinformation. The orchestrated media narratives seeking to present an entirely different picture, attributed to sources, in the last 24 hours are not helpful at all.”