The Minister of Labour and Employment and former governor of Anambra State, Dr Chris Ngige, has expressed the hope that the ongoing strike by university lecturers will be called off soon.

Ngige spoke on Tuesday as the Federal Government resumes negotiations with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, on how to end the strike action that has crippled academic activities in universities in the last 10 months. 

In his opening remarks on the occasion in Abuja, the Minister urged the academics led by ASUU President, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, to ensure the discussions yielded the desired result.

Ngige said that the Federal Government has addressed all grey areas, adding that those who planned to occupy the streets in January 2021 to begin an #EndStrike protest will be disappointed.

Also speaking, Professor Ogunyemi, acknowledged that much progress has been made in the negotiations so far and also expressed hope that the meeting would end the long strike as his colleagues were all ready and willing to get back to work provided the government does what it was expected to do.

After the minister and the ASUU president gave their remarks, the meeting entered into a technical session even as reporters were barred from covering the proceedings.

Tuesday’s meeting comes a month after the Federal Government offered a cumulative amount of N65 billion to the lecturers to address earned academic allowances as well as revitalisation of universities.

At the meeting held on November 20, Ngige noted that the government had decided to shift grounds on the lingering issues that have kept students out of the classroom in the last 10 months begining from March, 2020.

He had further explained then that in its bid to resolve the impasse with ASUU, another N15 billion from the amount offered by the government would be for more funds to revitalise the universities.

The minister explained that the fund was in addition to the N20 billion earlier paid, bringing the total to N35 billion earmarked as revitalisation fund by the government.

Ogunyemi had also at the end of the meeting acknowledged that the government had made some new offers to the union and progress had been made, but added that 

the union leaders would report to their organs and get back to the government on the position of their members.