ASUU Strike: FG extends ultimatum for lecturers to resume work

The Federal Government on Monday extended its deadline for striking university lecturers to resume work. The deadline was moved from December 4 to December 9.

The government, through the acting Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, had ordered the striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to resume work onDecember 4.

The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Julius Okojie, announced the new date while addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.

Mr. Okojie explained that "Government decided to shift the deadline after it received notification of Prof. Festus Iyayi's funeral rites slated for between December 5 and 7.

Mr. Iyayi, a former President of ASUU, died on November 12, 2013 in auto crash in Lokoja on his way to attend the association's meeting in Kano. The accident was reportedly caused by the convoy of the Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada.

According to Mr. Okojie, the decision is also to avoid a situation where government and ASUU will have to deal with the ultimatum during the funeral of the former ASUU President.

"We just received information that the burial rites of Festus Iyayi begins on the December5 and would last till Dec. 7.

"Based on this information, government decided to shift the resumption deadline to December 9, to enable lecturers to participate in the burial," the professor said.

The executive secretary said the directive had been communicated to the various university Governing Councils and Vice Chancellors for onward transmission to the academic staff.

-NAN