Kano government meets ASUU, demands suspension of strike in state-owned universities

Kano State Government on Tuesday night convened a meeting with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) chapters of the two state universities in the state, with the main demand surrounding the suspension of the ongoing strike action.

Daily Trust reports that the meeting was held between the state government officials and ASUU members from Kano University of Science and Technology (KUST), Wudil and Yusuf Maitama Sule University (YUMSUK).

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The meeting, which lasted for hours, ended in a stalemate with promises to meet again in a week, but no assurances given.

The Kano State Head of Civil Service, Usman Bala Muhammad, pleaded with the union and even asked their leaders to suspend their membership of ASUU for three months.

However, he gave the union a week to reconsider the best options and reconvene, while instructing them to come up with the bitter truth – solution for academic activities to continue.

“It is not possible, we cannot even go to the national with these demands. We can’t, it’s better that we tell you the truth,” one of the union leaders pointed out.

The head of the service spoke after the meeting about whether the government plans to take action against the striking lecturers, and said there is no plan on that at the moment, but it will definitely find a way if things continue.

“We cannot decide to send people out of their jobs until it is the only option. You have to engage them and make them come with the employer consciously and willingly,” he said.

On his part, the Kano Coordinator, ASUU, Abdulqadir Muhammad, said: “We have told the government in clear terms that we will not come back to tell them anything other than what we have explained to them today, unless before the week is over is actually a new development at the level of the union in the center.

“Before we decided to start this strike, even at the centre, we know that there are consequences and our members are determined whatever the consequences are, we will take them as much as these issues are not addressed. This is part of the sacrifices we make. If the government feels otherwise, that is a choice.”