Dr. Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment, has said that he has limited influence over the current standoff between the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and the Federal Government.
Dr. Ngige stated this on Monday when receiving members of the government side of the re-negotiation committee for the 2009 Federal Government/University-based unions agreement, which is chaired by Prof. Nimi Briggs.
“I have to use the labor instruments at my disposal as a conciliator.” “The Federal Ministry of Education executives are unconcerned about the strike,” Ngige remarked.
“Some things are bigger than me.” I am not the Education Minister. I can’t go to the Minister of Education and tell him how to operate his department.”
In light of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) ongoing strike, Ngige said the union needs to make its issues known to the appropriate ministry so that they could be resolved quickly.
“However, I advised ASUU that in order for this to be carried forward, you should be bombarding them at the Federal Ministry of Education.” There are numerous options for doing so. He responded, “If you go to the labor act.”
“There’s a thing called picketing,” he says. You are free to picket. The strike is the pinnacle of events. Picketing entails remaining in the corridor while clapping or singing. It is permissible for employees to do so. But I’m wary of it being a strike every time there’s a disagreement.”
“As well as the Federal Ministry of Education’s bosses seems unconcerned about the strike.” Children, and some of us parents, are the ones who send our children to public schools. My children are enrolled in public universities.
“Three of them received their medical degrees from Awka’s Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital in 2020, LUTH College of Medicine in October 2021, and UniAbuja in December 2021. Others, notably those on my foundation’s scholarship and sponsorship programs, are still there.”
The lecturers are demanding better working conditions, the revitalization of public universities, and academic autonomy, among many other things on the white paper.
