ASUU Flays Ngige Over Alleged Advice To Proscribe Union

Chairman, Academic Staff  Union of Universities (ASUU) of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Dr John Edor, has cautioned minister of labour and employment, Dr Chris Ngige, for advising the federal government to proscribe the union.

Edor made the remarks in Calabar yesterday during ASUU congress, stressing that the minister’s utterance was totally out of place and totally uncalled for.

He stated that it was unfortunate that Ngige’s statement is coming at a time when the university teachers had made up their minds to call off the long strike.

Edor said, “A government official like Ngige should not be talking about proscribing the union at a time like this. The minister himself participated in this truce in a meeting with the Speaker of House of Representatives.

“Any government official still thinking in that direction should re-trace his/her steps in the interest of the country.”

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The ASUU chairman maintained that the congress is part of the process arising from the intervention of the Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila on the matter stressing that  some understanding and shifting of ground have been made and reached between the union and the federal government.

“We need to process this outcome through the various organs and the final decision will be taken at National Executive Council of ASUU,” he said.

While commenting on registration of Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA) and Nigeria Association of Medical and Dental Lecturers in Academics (NAMDA) by the federal government, the Unical ASUU chairman described the act as totally uncalled for.

“There is a precedent where a group of persons came together, applied to be registered as a union, and the same Ministry of Labour and Employment replied them that they cannot be registered because there was already an existing union that caters for their needs.

“It is illegal to have registered the two unions. In UNICAL, we have no member of CONUA.

“There is no need to divide ASUU, instead solve the problems that ASUU is asking you to look into,” Edor stated.