ASUU strike won’t happen – Ngige reacts to three-week ultimatum

The Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige has assured that the strike threatened by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will not happen.

Ngige stated this during an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday.

The Union had issued a three-week ultimatum issued to the federal government to implement the earlier agreement reached between both parties during the last strke action.

The union’s national president, Emmanuel Osodeke, explained that the industrial action became necessary due to the failure of the federal government to implement the memorandum of action (MoA) it signed with the union upon which the last strike action was suspended.

However, Ngige insisted funds were available for universities.

“The strike will not happen. For one, I know that the funds to pay are there and the ministry of education has assured me that by tomorrow, they will emanate letters to make sure that the disbursement reaches the accounts of the various universities.

“We are not paying the unions directly, so it will get to the universities’ accounts,” Ngige said.