NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIAN STUDENTS.
NANS SOUTHWEST (Zone D).

PRESS RELEASE

NOVEMBER 19TH, 2022.

FG VS ASUU: NIGERIA’S FUTURE IN THE BALANCE

The long term effect of the ongoing mismanagement, victimisation and usage of public office to pursue personal vendetta and aggrandisement being engaged in by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige will in the long run further decimate, degenerate and disfigure the already severely tattered and battered status of Nigeria's educational system.

Under the very nose of President Muhammad Buhari, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige have engaged in countless activities that are capable of destroying the future of this country if left unchecked.
Since the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) began their last agitation, some of President Buhari's appointees have frustrated several efforts by stakeholders to resolve the issue quickly thereby elongating the strike to over eight months.
In particular, Dr. Chris Ngige who turned a national issue to a battle of ego and walked out from meetings, disrespected officials, spearheaded registration of rival unions, took ASUU to court, instructed payment of half salary and further complicated the matter.

Recently, President Buhari approved the sack of Mohammed Fadah as the Director-General of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on ground of incompetence while Dr. Ngige remains in office without retribution in spite of myriad of allegations levelled against him.
The partiality being displayed by the presidency is giving credence to the public belief that Ngige is working for the cabal.

For the upteenth time, we want to summarily disagree with the misguided, ill-advised and erroneous decision to engage pro rata payment system for the remuneration of ASUU members.
The half salary payment is nothing but an outright attempt to casualize, denigrate and abase the highly distinguished and prestigious intellectual professionals.

The premise of argument that they can only be paid for the job they did reeks of ignorance.
It is imperative to note that upon resumption, the syllabus would still be covered by the lecturers and assignments, tests, projects, examinations, and other academic activities that an initio should have hold in the course of the academic session would still hold.
Therefore, since the lecturers would still complete the 2020/21 session, there is no justification for the half salary payment.
The peculiarity of the academic sector demands that academic staff members work within an academic session calendar and not just months, therefore this peculiarity and commonsense should prevail over ego and selfdom.

Finally, we demand that President Muhammad Buhari suspend Ngige from directly interfacing with ASUU as he has displayed inability to curtail his emotions and personal interest from interfering with his official assignment.
He has shown himself to be unable to achieve objectivity and therefore must be replaced by a credible alternative.
It is non-negotiable that maximum attention be paid to the educational sector as its output quality will determine the quality of people who will take charge of the National affairs in the future.
To be more explicit, if Ngige is allowed to destroy the Academic industry, then the future of Nigeria is indeed bleak and hanging in the balance.

Solidarity Forever ✊

Comrade Adegboye Emmanuel Olatunji (TeeJay).
Coordinator,
NANS SOUTHWEST (Zone D).

Comrade Alao John.
Deputy Coordinator,
NANS SOUTHWEST (Zone D).

Comrade Opeoluwa Awoyinfa.
Public Relations Officer,
NANS SOUTHWEST (Zone D).