ASUU-NAU rebuke Labour Minister (Dr Chris Ngige) over 2022 ASUU national strike comment.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (ASUU-NAU) has lashed out at the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige for his comments that ASUU members in three faculties of the institution did not partake in the 2022 ASUU national strike.
The minister had listed the three faculties of the university to include Basic Medical Sciences, Basic Clinical Sciences and Medicine.
Recall that the 2022 ASUU national strike lasted between February 14 and October 17, 2022.
While speaking to newsmen on Thursday in Awka, the ASUU-NAU Chairman, Comrade Stephen Ufoaroh described the claims by the Minister as false and misleading, stating that all the academic staff members of the university participated fully in the strike.
According to him, the comments were dishonourable and unworthy of a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The claim by Dr. Chris Ngige, that lecturers in the aforementioned three faculties did not participate in the strike is totally false, misleading, dishonourable and unworthy of a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Chris Ngige has cajoled his colleagues in the medical field into the ignoble act of claiming that they were on duty during the pendency of the strike in an effort to split the ranks of the union.
“Lecturers in these three faculties ought to realise that as intellectuals, they have a divine responsibility to defend the truth. The absolute truth is that there was no teaching and consequently no examination was conducted throughout the period of the struggle.
“Dr Ngige’s incurable phobia for ASUU has eclipsed his sense of decency and he has gone ahead to pay his colleagues and probably kinsmen the eight months arrears of salaries without any verifiable evidence of the work purportedly done during the period.
“The big question is, what is in it for NGIGE?” he queried.
Ufoaroh challenged Minister Ngige to produce evidence that the said academic staff worked during the industrial action, accusing him of trying to pitch the lecturers against each other.
“This obvious action of ‘divide and rule’ bespeaks the usual (Dis) honourable Minister’s insensitivity to the plight of universities in a country where every institution and every household has become a municipality.
“It is sad and most unfortunate that Dr Chris Ngige and his collaborators have continued in their shamefull and ignoble acts against the growth of public Universities even at the twilight of their administration. All lecturers at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka participated in the 2022 ASUU National Strike, Period.
“For the records, there are concrete and verifiable evidences from memos and publications from the university that counter the false and trumped-up claims of the minister, as evidenced in various memos of the university administration relating to the closing and re-opening of the University consequent upon the strike.
“Chris Ngige needs to purge himself of personal animus towards ASUU,” he said.
