The Academic Staff Union of Universities
(ASUU) may hold its postponed National Executive Council (NEC) meeting
on Friday to decide whether or not to suspend the indefinite strike it
began since July 2.
A top official of ASUU, who preferred anonymity, disclosed this to Daily Independent in a telephone interview on Sunday.
He was, however, not certain if the NEC
will still be held at the Bayero University, Kano where it was initially
proposed to hold.
The leadership of the union postponed
the scheduled Kano NEC meeting following the demise of one its key
members, Festus Iyayi, who died last Tuesday in a ghastly motor accident
on his way to Kano for the postponed NEC meeting.
The source noted that the union members
are still grieved and are pre-occupied with the burial arrangement of
the late Professor of Business Administration, who died along the
Abuja-Lokoja highway in an accident caused by the convoy of Kogi State
Governor, Idris Wada.
The source debunked speculations in the
social media that ASUU has jettisoned its NEC indefinitely, saying the
union postponed the NEC meeting as a mark of honour and respect for the
late Iyayi.
According to him, all ASUU officials
that were supposed to participate in the NEC meeting last week Wednesday
had actually gathered at the Bayero University, Kano, but for the
unfortunate accident which claimed the life of Iyayi and disrupted the
agenda already set for the meeting.
Meanwhile, Supervisory Minister of
Education, Nyesom Wike, also at the weekend led a delegation of
government on a condolence visit to the residence of the late
academician in Benin City.
Wike assured that the Federal Government
would diligently implement all the agreements it reached with ASUU in
the course of the negotiations with President Goodluck Jonathan.
Those in the delegation of the minister
include Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission
(NUC), Julius Okojie, and some top officials of Federal Ministry of
Education.
They also visited the injured ASUU
National Welfare Officer, Ngozi Iloh, who is said to be responding to
treatment at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin.
In a statement in Abuja on Sunday, the
Minister’s Special Assistant (Media), Simeon Nwakaudu, said Wike
solicited the permission of the family to allow the Federal Government
participate in the burial ceremony of the former ASUU president.
“President Goodluck Jonathan and the
entire administration are deeply pained by the sudden death of the
former ASUU National President who played a key part in the negotiations
between ASUU and the Federal Government.
“We recall the significant contributions
of Professor Iyayi during the 13-hour negotiations between President
Jonathan and ASUU, which led to a headway in the discussions.
“I want to assure the family that the
ideals that the late scholar fought and died for will never be
forgotten. The Federal Government will diligently implement the
decisions reached in the course of negotiations with ASUU.
“The Federal Ministry of Education
wishes to be a part of the burial of this erudite scholar and we seek
the permission of the family to participate in the burial. I pray God to
grant the family the strength to bear this unfortunate loss,” Wike was
quoted to have said.
Oriabure Iyayi, son of the late ASUU
president, was said to have thanked President Jonathan, the Minister of
Education and all Nigerians for commiserating with the family at their
moment of grief.
A relative of the deceased, Prof. Robert Ebiwele, informed the minister that the burial will hold between December 5 and 9.
He assured that the family would inform the Federal Ministry of Education on the burial arrangements.
