The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Prof. Attahiru Jega, has initiated high-level talks with the university management and the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, in a fresh bid to end the four-week-old strike at the institution.
Jega convened a high-level meeting with the two sides on Thursday, at the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, NILDS, Abuja, as part of efforts to resolve the issues behind the industrial dispute and restore academic activities.
The meeting brought together the ASUU leadership, the university management led by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sa’adatu Hassan Liman, members of the Governing Council and other principal officers.
The parties engaged in what was described as frank and constructive discussions aimed at narrowing their differences and developing practical measures for resolving the impasse.
The intervention by the Governing Council followed weeks of disruption to academic activities at the university, leaving students and other members of the university community awaiting a resolution that would facilitate the resumption of classes.
The university management, according to a statement on the meeting, reaffirmed its commitment to dialogue and expressed readiness to pursue all reasonable options towards ending the dispute.
It said the priority remained the restoration of industrial harmony while protecting the interests of the university and its students.
Jega’s intervention is expected to provide a fresh platform for engagement between the university authorities and ASUU as the institution seeks to break the deadlock.
The involvement of the Governing Council in the negotiations also underscores the institution’s efforts to address the dispute through direct engagement with the parties involved.
The university community is now hopeful that the Abuja discussions will yield an agreement acceptable to ASUU and the management and pave the way for the return of students to academic activities.
Thousands of students have been affected by the prolonged disruption, making an early resolution critical to minimising further delays to the academic calendar.
The university said details of the outcome of the meeting and any resolutions reached would be communicated through its official channels.
