Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige said Monday that the federal government has met 98% of the demands of the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, assuring Nigerians that the nation’s universities are likely to reopen by January next year.
Addressing reporters at Alor in Idemili North local government area of Anambra State during the flag-off of medical outreach in the town, the minister said final decisions will be taken on Tuesday during a meeting he would hold with ASUU leadership in Abuja.
He said: “We have met about 98 percent of the request of ASUU. The remaining two percent is what you can call promissory notes.
“So, I am very hopeful that by midnight Tuesday, there is work we are supposed to get on to do and ASUU members also have some work they are supposed to do on their own side with their people.
“We will meet in the afternoon and we will compare notes. “We will put everything on the table and compare. I believe that we might have come to the end of the strike when we meet.
“Well, it is a journey of a thousand miles, which you will have to take one step first. All things being equal, we will agree now to agree because we were disagreeing before.
“We will disagree to agree and agree to disagree formerly. But I hope we will agree to agree. Once we do that, schools will open in January.”
