FG orders VCs to reopen varsities

The Federal Government (FG) has ordered Vice-Chancellors in universities across the country to re-open schools and allow students resume academic activities.

This was contained in a letter signed by the Director, Finance and Accounts of National Universities Commission (NUC), Sam Onazi, on behalf of the Executive Secretary of the commission, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, on Monday.

The letter which was addressed to all Vice-Chancellors, Pro-Chancellors, and chairmen of governing councils of federal universities, called on them to re-open the universities.

“Ensure that ASUU members immediately resume/commence lectures; restore the daily activities and routines of the various University campuses,” the letter partly read.

It would be recalled that ASUU embarked on strike on February 14, 2022, to press home the demand for improved funding for universities, a review of salaries for lecturers, among other issues.

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Several meetings between ASUU and the Federal Government have ended in deadlock due to non-agreement in the demands

The Federal Government later went to court to challenge the strike but the union insisted it would not resume until its demands are met by the government.

However, the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), on Wednesday, ordered ASUU to call off its seven-month-old strike.

The judge, Polycarp Hamman, gave the order in a ruling on the Federal Government’s application for an interlocutory injunction against the ongoing ASUU strike.

The Star