The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment has reacted to a statement issued by the National Association of Nigerian Students accusing the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, of failing to broker truce between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
The ministry in a lengthy statement issued on Wednesday night by the deputy director of press, Charles Akpan, also explained some of the interventions of the labour minister to the issues between ASUU and the government while adding, “Any strike by University lecturers affects Ngige and his children the same way it affects ordinary Nigerians.”
The PUNCH reported that ASUU on Monday, February 14,2022 announced the commencement of a one month total and indefinite strike.
The announcement which was made by the national president of the union, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, at the University of Lagos, Akoka accused the Federal Government of failing to honor and implement some of the agreements made.
Osodeke had also explained that the one month strike was to give the government time to do the needful after which failure to do so would lead to an indefinite strike.
Following this, the National Association of Nigerian Students had accused the ministry of labour and employment for failing to broker truce and settle the rancour between the government and ASUU.
The statement partly read, “The truth is that any strike by University lecturers also affects Ngige and his children the same way it affects ordinary Nigerians.
“During the 2020 strike, the honorable minister doubled as a concerned parent and Federal Government official, having three of his children in three medical schools in three different public universities in Awka, Lagos and Uniabuja.
“This doesn’t include the numerous fatherless and indigent students from all parts of the country that he is catering for under his foundation’s scholarship programme.
“It defied logic that Ngige as minister whose children and wards are in public schools would sleep comfortably as university lecturers shut down classes”.
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