There was no plan to proscribe ASUU under Buhari — Ngige

Former Minister of Labour and
Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has hit at the House Committee on Education, Aminu
Goro, for alleged fabrications, outright lies and unwarranted attacks on the
floor of the House, towards political gains, saying there was no plan to
proscribe the Academic staff union of Universities, ASUU.

Ngige who expressed shock by the
lawmaker’s outburst at the valedictory 
session of the 9th  House, urged
the outgoing House of Representative member to go back and read the Trade Union
Act, (2004) and not to rubbish other persons for political survival. 

The former minister in a statement
from his Media Office, among others, said “The Minister of Labour does not need
Presidential approval to withdraw certificates of registration of Trade Unions.
The Trade Union Act 2004 permits the Registrar of Trade Unions to cancel a
certificate suo moto in Section 7 especially as ASUU had breached Section 3 on
the annual rendition of Audited Accounts. ASUU was in default for five years.

 “Another Section of Trade Dispute Act;  The Essential Services Act Cap T9 permits the
President to proscribe any erring Union involved in an illegal strike but all
through the 2022 ASUU strike neither the President nor any of his Ministers in
Education or Labour mooted such an idea because the Minister of Labour and
Employment has done the right thing by the transmission of an Instrument on the
issue to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria for adjudication in
accordance with Section 17 of TDA. 2004. So former President Buhari and his
officials chose the path of the rule of Law in dealing with the unending strike
when conciliation failed instead of an arm-twisting proscription as alleged by
Aminu Goro.

“Aminu’s cock and bull narrative
aimed at sweetening the ears of the audience including fellow outgoing members
at the expense of other patriotic Nigerians including the former President
should be discouraged by all including the outgoing Speaker. No such incident
ever happened on the Executive side and hence the painted scenario never took
place at all. This is by no means to say that the Outgoing Speaker and Chief of
Staff designates to the President did not contribute to the resolution of the
issue with ASUU. He did and passionately too like many others on the government
side and the Traditional and Religious leaders. But the ultimate solution and
relief came from the Judiciary. Judges of both the NICN and the Court of Appeal
who interpreted the relevant sections of the Trade Dispute Act 2004 without
fear or favour and ordered ASUU back to the classroom.”