ASUU Strike: Uncertainty Pervades Crucial NEC Meeting

As Nigerian students hold their breaths over the new developments on the industrial action embarked by the Academic Staff Union of Universities five months ago, uncertainty continues to prevail as regards to when the crucial meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) would hold.

The death of the former ASUU President, Prof. Festus Iyayi, is the likeliest reason for the continued delay in holding the meeting which would be the decider over the fate of students, who have been idling at home since July.

There had been speculations that the meeting would hold last Saturday after it was cancelled due to Iyayi’s death but ASUU’s representatives said there had been no intention to hold the meeting on Saturday.

There are also unconfirmed reports that the meeting may hold next Friday and speculations also exist that the union may decide to postpone the crucial meeting till next year.

A labour analyst, however, told THISDAY that the meeting was likely to hold after the burial of Iyayi, which had been tentatively slated for the first week of December.

"They may have decided to postpone the meeting as a mark of honour to their departed colleague, who died while on his way to the meeting. We should also give them that chance to mourn him," he said.

ASUU President, Dr. Nasir Fagge, did not respond to calls.