The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Nnamdi Azikiwe chapter says all lecturers at the institution participated in the 2022 ASUU National Strike.
The Chapter Chairperson of the Union,Comrade Stephen Ufoaroh stated this while addressing journalists in Awka, Anambra state.
According to him, the claims by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige that ASUU members in three faculties of the institution did not participate in the nationwide strike was not true.
Comrade Ufoaroh said the faculties of Basic Medical Sciences, Basic Clinical Sciences and Medicine were fully involved in the 2022 ASUU national strike as there are concrete and verifiable evidences from memos and publications from the university that counter the claims by the minister
He noted that that there were evidence in various memos of the university administration relating to the closing and re-opening of the University consequent upon the strike.
The ASUU chairperson regretted that Senator Ngige’s incurable phobia for the union has eclipsed his sense of decency as he has gone ahead to pay his colleagues the eight months arrears of salaries without any verifiable evidence of the work purportedly done during the period
” 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”
Comrade Ufoaroh. alleged that the minister of Labour 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.
He noted that Lecturers in the three faculties ought to have realise that as intellectuals, they have a divine responsibility to defend the truth as there was no teaching and consequently no examination was conducted throughout the period of the struggle.
Our Correspondent reports that the ASUU boss in NAU, said it was sad and most unfortunate that Senator Ngige and his collaborators have continued in their ignoble acts against the growth of public Universities even at the twilight of their administration.
/UN
