Minister Of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, says media report insinuating that President Muhammadu Buhari ordered him on Tuesday to hand off negotiations with the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities is not true.
Ngige made this clarification on Wednesday while speaking with State House correspondents in Abuja.
The minister said, “The truth of the matter is, there is no such thing. It’s just a categorical untruth. There is nothing like hands off.”
Asked whether the two weeks directive by the President to resolve the issue was realistic, Ngige said he proposed one week to resolve the issue but the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu volunteered to resolve the issues with ASUU within two weeks.
He, however, said he hoped the issues would be resolved within the stipulated time and advised the unions to table their matter before the Minister of Education whom the President had directed to resolve the issue.