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| Labour Minster, Ngige during a meeting with Union leaders |
Following the registration of two Academic Unions, which apparently seem to be a tactic by Federal government 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 direct teaching to commence.
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 however 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.