The Academic Staff Union of Universities has said that it would not partake in any process involving Senator Chris Ngige. ASUU stated this on Tuesday as the Union and Federal Government locked horns over the modalities to resolve the crises. The President, Muhammadu Buhari intervened in the five-month-old strike action, calling on different sectors to look into the matter.

President Buhari on Tuesday directed the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, to resolve the prolonged industrial action embarked upon by ASUU and three other university-based unions. It was gathered that the president gave the directive after receiving briefings from the relevant government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). These MDAs are involved in the ongoing efforts to end the face-off with the university unions.

After Tuesday’s briefing, the President ordered that the education minister to ensure that the areas of disagreement were sorted out within two weeks and reports back to him. The President, also directed that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige should be part of meetings to resolve the crisis. Reacting to this directive, ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, stressed that Ngige, as an “acclaimed conciliator” has been the major actor fueling the crisis in tertiary institutions across the country. Hence, they would not participate in anything as regards the Minister. Addressing journalists, Osodeke reiterated that the union would not succumb to blackmail, alleging that Ngige had been feeding the general public with lies, hence the press conference.

“Specifically, there have been insinuations by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, that there was no agreement between ASUU and the government; that ASUU sat down to fix its own members’ salaries; and that our union asked representatives of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to recuse themselves from the negotiations.”

In addition to Adamu and Ngige, Buhari had directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha to be part of the team to interface with the unions on strike.

With the ASUU strike lingering for months, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) declared a nationwide protest for July 26 and 27  to show solidarity with the lecturers on strike.

Also, the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) at the weekend threatened to join the strike action if the demands of ASUU are not met by the Federal Government.

Asides from ASUU, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Allied Institutions (NASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) have also been in similar industrial action for disparate reasons.

ALSO READ Death Toll Mounts In Europe As Wildfires And Heatwaves Inflict Havoc