24th June, 2014
Damilare Okunola
The proposed meeting between members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP and the Senate Committee on Education, which was scheduled for Tuesday 24 June has been postponed.
This was disclosed by the National President of the striking lecturers’ union, Chibuzo Asomugha, who stated that the absence of key stakeholders stalled the meeting.
P.M. NEWS scooped that Minsters of Labour and Education had been invited to the meeting alongside the Secretary to the Federal Government, Anyim Pius Anyim but none of the duo was present at the venue of the meeting in Abuja.
A disappointed Asomugha told our correspondent that, “there was no meeting because of the absence of several key members whom the committee expected to meet with.
“It’s a shame that we could not have them present here but there is little we can do about it.
“The meeting has been rescheduled for next week Tuesday. Hopefully, other stakeholders earlier invited would be present then for the deliberations”.
Supervising Minister for Education, Nyesom Wike, when contacted, refused to speak with our correspondent on the issue as he claimed to be in a meeting.
“You can call me back, I am in a meeting presently,” he stated and hung the call.
The striking lecturers’ attention will now be shifted to their National Executive Council, NEC meeting slated for 25 and 26 June, 2014 at the Yaba College of Technology, YABATECH, Akoka, Lagos.
“Our NEC meeting holds irrespective of whether there was a strike action or not. So we shall meet at YABATECH tomorrow and Thursday to deliberate on pressing issues,” Asomugha enthused.