By Okhide Em’ya David
Benin Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed serious doubts over commitment, willingness and capability of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige to midwife or nurture any peaceful and early resolution of the issues that led to the ongoing strike in the country’s public universities.
Benin Zonal Chapter of ASUU is comprised of University of Benin, Benin City, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Delta State University, Abraka and the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun.
The Union hinged its doubt on Dr. Ngige’s alleged obvious propagandist and divide- and-rule approach in the handling of the ongoing strike, which ASUU said may probably not midwife an earnest resolution of the crisis in the country’s public universities.
In a Statement in Benin City on Wednesday, ASUU Benin Zonal Coordinator, Professor Fred Esumeh, observed that since the development of UTAS, Dr. Chris Ngige has consistently made remarks characteristic of a spoiler, confusionist and anti-ASUU, rather than a conciliator.
Professor Esumeh said that by the provisions of the Law, Dr. Chris Ngige, as the Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment is saddled with the conciliatory role during industrial disharmony, to calm already tensed situation and bring about a peaceful resolution, but he has chosen to be the mouthpiece of other unions that were not part of the 2019 Memorandum of Action (MoA).
Esumeh accused the government of introducing IPPIS to divert the public attention to the lack of sincerity, and will to faithfully implement agreement reached with ASUU, insisting on the union’s rejection of IPPIS, given its violation of the University Autonomy Act and its inadequacies to carter for the peculiarities in the university system.
He maintained that on account of IPPIS vs UTAS imbroglio, government had been and still withholding salaries of ASUU members for months, even when the union met with timelines agreed with government to develop UTAS and amidst COVID-19 challenges.
The union accused the Presidency, Minister of Finance, her Labour and Employment counterpart as well as the Accountant General of the Federation of deploying the weapon of hunger to compel and coerce ASUU members to enroll on the IPPIS platform.
It added that this move of government smacks of impunity and it is undemocratic in a democratic setting.
ASUU reminded Dr. Ngige that democracy which Nigerians, including him are enjoying today is anchored on the rule of law, while adherence to the law is sacrosanct.
The union urged the Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment to calm the nerves of members of ASUU and facilitate the payment of salaries of members instead of playing to the gallery and violating the law.
ASUU urged Nigerians to ask Dr. Chris Ngige if, the February 2019 MoA with ASUU included other unions, from the onset and why he was not willing to implement the terms of agreement he midwifed in 2019.
ASUU further urged Dr. Ngige to stop the threat of legal action, just as the union insisted that government should end the strike by honoring agreements.
The union also urged government to keep faith with it’s slogan that education is the bedrock of development and nation building, calling on government to make education particularly at the tertiary level assessable to the poor.
