Varsity Strike: ASUU demands exclusion of Ngige from negotiations

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has accused the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, of allowing the over four-month strike in nation’s universities to linger.

President of the union, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, who stated this on Friday, also denied the claim by the minister that the union was invited to meeting on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Ngige said the FG would soon resolve issues on the strike by ASUU and that concerns over payment platforms would be addressed with the union and other stakeholders in the next meeting fixed for Thursday.

But speaking on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, on Friday, the President of ASUU, Emmanuel Osodeke, said the union did not receive any letter of invitation from the minister.

He said Ngige should remove himself from the ongoing negotiation because the minister had worsened the situation.

He said, “We were not invited to any meeting. None of our members was invited. We have a secretariat but we never got any invitation from them.

“The problem we have with this government, especially with the minister of labour, is that if you can tell the world that you have fixed a meeting which you didn’t; how do you expect us to believe other things you have said?

“He should confirm to the world that he sent an invitation to ASUU for a meeting on Thursday.

“The minister of labour should leave us to deal with the minister of education. He was the one that made this matter worse to this extent. He was the one that decided to use hunger as a weapon, when he said no work no pay.”

ASUU, on February 14, declared a one-month warning strike to protest the non-implementation of its demands by the FG.

But on March 14, the union extended the action by eight weeks, citing the government’s failure to fully address its demands.

On May 6, Ngige promised that the FG would resume negotiations with ASUU with the aim of ending the strike.

Three days after his promise, the union extended the strike by another 12 weeks.