ASUU Strike: Jega Accuses Ngige Of Turning Strike To Personal Fight

Attahiru Jega, a former president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, has accused labour minister Chris Ngige of worsening negotiations between the striking lecturers and the federal government.

iexclusivenews reports that Mr Jega, a former INEC Chairman, made the allegation during an interview on Arise Television.

This online news outlet understands that Mr Jega said that Mr Ngige is responsible for how the seven months old strike has lingered, having turned the situation into a personal affair.

“The minister of labour is not helping matters, he has turned to this into a personal quarrel between him and the Minister of Education on the one hand and between himself and the Academic staff union on the other,” Mr Jega said.

According to the political science professor, the minister has been attempting to resolve the complex issue by acting in opposition to ASUU and the education ministry while also complicating collective bargaining.

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In order to prevent a peaceful resolution to the impasse in the university system, Mr. Jega cited Mr. Ngige’s effort this week to register rival organizations, Congress of University Academics and National Association of Medical and Dental Academics.

“And while many people are trying to find a way of addressing this situation so that students can go back to school and ASUU can go back to work, he (Ngige) is busy creating challenges, he now took the matter to the Industrial Court, ASUU has appealed. Now today he now registers two unions trying to proscribe the Academic Staff Union of Universities. If this is allowed, I think this is a recipe for disaster and it may really create more problems than it can solve on this matter of strikes in universities.”

Earlier last week, Mr. Ngige walked out of a truce meeting that House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila had convened.

The minister behaved erratically when he argued with Emmanuel Osodeke, the head of the ASUU.