ASUU Strike: Students set to resume as FG Directs New Unions To Commence Teaching Immediately

Minister for Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige and ASUU National Chairman, Emmanuel Osodeke

APPARENTLY to whittle down the influence of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and ensure that it no longer retains the power to cripple academic activities in Nigerian universities, the Federal Government, through the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, on Tuesday, said it had registered two new unions of lecturers. 

The two unions: Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA) and Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA), Ngige said, were registered after due consideration following series of letters written to the Ministry of Labour and Employment by the lecturers who made up the two new unions. 

He said the lecturers had in the letters complained of ASUU’s maltreatment and further declared their interest to break away from their parent union. 

Ngige, who made this known in his office in Abuja when he played host to the two unions, said that the Trade Union Act empowers him to regroup existing labour and pensioners’ unions. 

He recalled that he had carried out a similar action when he regrouped the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) into three unions for the purpose of industrial harmony. 

He added that the registration of the new unions is an action taken to ensure that no union will cripple Nigeria university education. He insisted that ASUU’s actions are not in favour of progressive tertiary education in the country. 

“Trade Unions Act CAP. T14, Law of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 gives the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment powers to regroup an existing Trade Union of Worker or Employees. 

“In the view of the above, I Senator Chris Ngige, in the exercise of the powers conferred on me as the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, do hereby approve the registration of CONUA and NAMDA,” the minister said. 

The minister further said that the unions now have equal rights with ASUU and will be invited to all events and negotiations involving university lecturers. He added that there are now three voices (unions) in the Nigerian tertiary education and that ASUU will no longer be the only voice that speaks for Nigerian lecturers. 

He also noted that the unions applied for registration in 2017 and 2018 respectively, even as he insisted that the registration of the two unions doesn’t mean that ASUU no longer exists or that it will not enjoy its due rights. 

“These associations will exist side by side with ASUU in the Nigerian universities in the spirit and tenets of International Labour Organisation (ILO) core convention. They are accordingly entitled to all rights and privileges accruing to such academic association/ organisation including but not limited to receiving check-off dues of their members,” Ngige said.