Two days
after a minister announced that Vice
President Yemi Osinbajo “has taken over some of the aspects of
the negotiations and discussions” with striking university lecturers, the
presidency has corrected the statement saying the minister was
“misrepresented.”
Speaking at the end of the Federal
Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and
Employment, spoke on the decision reached at the meeting regarding the strike.
“This is the first national strike
that this government is facing and we want to discuss,” he said.
“At council today, the Vice
President has taken over some of the aspects of the negotiations and
discussions.
“So, we are continuing the meeting
in his office and when we finish meeting, we will get back to ASUU for another
round of meeting and we are hopeful that we will be able to go to an
appreciable extent to solve some of the outstanding issues that is preventing
them from going back to work,” he said.
In a statement on Friday, however,
Laolu Akande, the spokesperson to Mr. Osinbajo said his principal will not take
over the negotiation.
‘‘Media reports seemed to have
misrepresented what Labour & Employment Minister, Dr. Chris Ngige meant
when he spoke with reporters about the negotiations after the Federal Executive
Council meeting on Wednesday.”
Mr. Akande explained that the
“Vice President had a discussion after FEC with both the Labour Minister and
Education Minister Malam Adamu Adamu around the issues, but has not taken over
the negotiations as widely reported.”
He said Mr.
Ngige and Mr. Adamu
“will continue to lead the FG- ASUU talks.”
“will continue to lead the FG- ASUU talks.”
“The Federal Government continues
to diligently pursue a prompt resolution of this dispute and is confident the
matter would be resolved,” he added.
The lecturers, ASUU, are on an indefinite
national strike over issues ranging from welfare of members and the
unwillingness of the federal government to honour past agreements with the
union.
Past meetings between the
government and the lecturers have not led to a resolution of the crisis which
has sent students in tertiary institutions back home.
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