NEWS:REVEALED: ASUU Union leaders rejected food provided by presidency during negotiation with Jonathan

During the marathon-like 13 hour
negotiation with the Federal
Government last week, the delegation
of the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU) refused food and
drinks provided by the Presidency. A
source close to a member of ASUU
team said the Union's delegates took
only water. A senior lecturer at the
University of Lagos (UNILAG) in a chat
with newsmen in Lagos said, "First,
what our leaders went there to do was
to negotiate, not to eat." "You can't go
to the house of a man whom you have
scores to settle and get too
comfortable. That would be wrong," the
lecturer added. "The appropriate thing
was to get themselves refreshed before
the meeting which I'm sure they did.
"You can't go to the house of a man
whom you have scores to settle and get
too comfortable. That would be wrong,"
he added. At the meeting, the Union
leaders had tendered to the FG, facts
on its spending in other sectors, while
lamenting neglect of Nigerian
universities. Former ASUU president,
Sule-Kano, over the weekend disclosed
that the Union would take position after
local chapters of the union had briefed
their respective congresses across the
country on Monday. Commenting on
the FG the meeting, he said: "It is our
branches that will decide whether there
was headway or not. Normally, the
principle is to interact with government
and report back to the members, to let
them decide and make their
judgement." "We have this axiom
which says that 'you cannot trust
government.' It is very difficult for us to
trust government, because their move
is very difficult to judge. That is why we
go to our members to allow them to
look at the issues. How will they
interpret them? Will they see them as
shortchange? It is very difficult to say
that for now." It will be recalled that
ASUU and FG met behind closed door
on Monday, November 4, at the First
Lady Conference Room, Presidential
Villa, Abuja. President Goodluck
Jonathan had made some offers which
ASUU was expected to take to their
members for deliberation with the hope
that it will pacify them into resuming
academic activities this week.
However,the ASUU members are still
negotiating