The Senate has summoned Minister for Finance, Kemi Adeosun after moves to stop the warning strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Wednesday failed.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki held a meeting with the union’s leadership but declined to speak to journalists.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Education and TETFund, Senator Jibrin Barau, said the upper chamber could not stop the strike.

He said the minister of finance has been invited to a meeting with ASUU, the ministries of education and labour.

He said the Senate will continue working to ensure that the warning strike does not transform to an indefinite one.

Barau said, “We have had a fruitful deliberation and a way forward has been found by creating a sub-committee of this committee to sit and find out certain things in the Ministry of Finance, which will bring us closer to the resolution of this problem.

“We will start sitting tomorrow (Thursday), including the Minister of Finance (Kemi Adeosun), who has not been able to attend this meeting but we are sure she will be here tomorrow and the Director-General of the Budget Office.

“We have created a template on how to resolve this problem. And you know ASUU is a democratic body, they have to consult. So, it’s ongoing; it’s a work in progress and a very important headway has been created. A good template has been created and we see light at the end of the tunnel.”

Azeez