The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Federal University of Technology, Lokoja chapter, has demanded the resignations of both the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, and his Education counterpart, Adamu Adamu, for their handling of the crisis between the university and the federal government.
The union stated this during a solidarity protest on the institution’s Adankolo campus on Tuesday.
The union had previously declared Tuesday a lecture-free day, as directed by its parent body.
After an early morning deliberation by members of the union, the stage was set for a peaceful demonstration held within the campus up to the main gate with members holding placards with inscriptions such as “Say no to casualisation of lecturers,” “Ngige must go,” “Okija shrine awaits you.”
Others wrote, “Pay our eight months salaries,” “Stop playing politics with our education,” “We are not casual workers,” “Ngige, Adamu must go.”
The chairman of the FUL branch of ASUU, Dr Joshua Silas, who addressed journalists in the course of the rally, said the way the Federal Government as represented by the two ministers handled the matter had revealed clearly that they were out to destroy public universities.
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“We are calling on the President to remove the ministers before they completely destroy our educational system. They want to turn university lecturers into casual workers. This Government wants to destroy public institutions,” they said.
Asked what the next line of action would be should the President refused to heed to their demands, Silas said that decision is for the National Executive Council to make, adding that “what we are doing today is to sensitise the public to how Ngige and Adamu were destroying our educational system.
“We also want to tell the public that we should not be blamed when we decide to take action. This Government wants to destroy education, they want to destroy public institutions.”
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