Oshiomhole briefs Yar’Adua on talks with ASUU chiefs

University teachers and the Federal Government resumed talks yesterday, raising hopes of a resolution of their disagreement.

The talks dragged on late into the night, with Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole as mediator.

Oshiomhole, who persuaded the teachers to return to the negotiation table, briefed President Umaru Yar’Adua on his efforts, before the parties went into another round of talks at the National Universities Commission (NUC) secretariat at about 8.15p.m.

Oshiomhole had met with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) leadership at the Labour House, Abuja. He later met with Education Minister Dr Sam Egwu, the leader of the government’s team, Deacon Gamaliel Onosode and ASUU president Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie.

Oshiomhole told reporters that the meeting was to seek ways of ending the over three months strike in public universities.

Oshiomhole said: "This meeting was convened so that we can revisit the dispute between the government and ASUU and the aim is to find a common ground to proceed so that the dispute can be resolved and the university system restored."

The government pulled out of the talks in July, asking the teachers to suspend their strike before the parley could continue.

But the lecturers refused, saying they would only return to the classrooms after their demands have been met.

The National Assembly leadership will join Oshiomhole in resolving the strike.

Senate spokesman Ayogu Eze lamented that the strike was capable of crippling the education system.

He said the intervention would be multi-faceted, adding that the Senate leadership would join the committee on education to dialogue with the university teachers.

A meeting convened by the Senate Committee on Education on July 21, to resolve the disagreement suffered a setback as the committee chairman, Senator Joy Emodi, could not find a common ground with the teachers.