The National Executive Council of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has ended the eight-month-long industrial action of the union.

The strike, which has kept most public universities closed since February, officially came to an end after ASUU leadership held a meeting in Abuja on Thursday night.

A highly informed source from ASUU’s NEC confirmed the suspension to Punch.

“Yes, it has been called off… the president will release an official circular in the morning,” the paper quoted the source as saying.

ASUU had upgraded an ongoing strike to an indefinite one in August. It was ASUU’s attempt to “save public universities”.

The union said that the FG employed a lot of deceit and arrived at no conclusion in the last five and half years.

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According to ASUU, the FG failed to meet a signed agreement despite arranging meetings with the union between 2017 and 2021.

“It is sad that, until February 14, 2022, when the ongoing strike commenced, the Federal Government made no significant efforts to either sign the agreement or commence implementation. It was only after the commencement of this strike that the Federal Government reconstituted the committee with Professor Emeritus Nimi Briggs appointed Chairman to lead the Government Team,” ASUU stated in August.

ASUU claimed it came to a compromise with the Briggs-led team but Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment, and Festus Keyamo, the Minister of State, accused the union of fixing unreasonable salary packages for its members.

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The relationship between ASUU and Ngige quickly turned sour, and lawmakers got involved in the negotiations with the union.

Neither ASUU nor the president has released an official statement.