The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, on Wednesday, stated that the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities was a “leave” as the union did not notify his ministry before embarking on strike.
Ngige also noted that the union failed in its agreement with the National Inter-religious Council headed by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Sa’ad, and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev Samson Ayokunle, by failing to report to the committee before embarking on strike.
Earlier the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, in an interview with State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja, said the demands of the union were being renegotiated.
He said he was therefore surprised when he learnt about the strike, adding that the industrial action was not the government’s fault.
However, the President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, faulted Adamu, insisting that the union visited the minister on Thursday last week and told him what would likely happen.
According to him, the minister did not mention the issue of negotiations when the union visited him.
Adamu, however, insisted that after several negotiations between ASUU and the government, both parties had not reached a truce.
When asked if the government could reach an agreement with ASUU before the end of the 30-day strike, Adamu said, “I can’t give you time. I am ready to reach an agreement with ASUU now but since I am not the only one, I cannot give you time. But certainly, we are going to reach an agreement very soon.”
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