Angered by the incessant industrial actions going on in the educational sector in the country, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Thursday announced that it has concluded plans to hold a one–day national protest to force the Federal Government to meet the demands of the striking university-based unions.
The congress pointed out that reports from a meeting of its Central Working Committee showed a painful lack of progress in the negotiation with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities, and National Association of Academic Technologists.
The President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, made this known while speaking in Abuja during the opening of the National Executive Council meeting of the Congress.
Wabba called on all the affiliate unions of the NLC to issue directives on the planned one-day national protest from next week.
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‘I think there is reluctance in addressing this issue (of strike) and therefore, CWC has decided that there will be a one-day national protest to call the attention of the government to resolve the issue immediately. After that, the next decision of the CWC will take place,’ he said.
He however did not disclose when the national protest will hold.
Wabba also lamented the present fuel crisis in the country, while adding that the congress is studying the sack of teachers by the Kaduna State Government.
In the meantime, the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday to expedite the process of resolving ongoing disputes between the government and the unions.
The chairman of the committee, Prof Samuel Edoumiekumo, made the call during the launch of the intellectual property policy document for universities in Abuja.
‘We plead that drastic action is taken to stem the haemorrhage that the system is currently witnessing. For the sake of our children and our society, we need the decision,’ he said.
