Ngige: ASUU is not asking for our head, blood… eulogises private sector’s involvement

Senator Chris Ngige, Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment, has revealed the commitment of the Federal Government to implement the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) regarding a revamp of the educational system in the country.

The Minister made this call on Thursday during the reconvened meeting between the leadership of the ASUU and the federal government in Abuja to curb ASUU incessant strikes in order to press forth their demands.

He assured the union that the federal government would not abandon the public universities in spite of dwindling resources.

“ASUU is not asking for things that are impossible. They are not asking that we give them our head or blood.

“They are interested in getting good working conditions for their members and for the public university system to be conducive for teaching and research,” he said.

Ngige said that government would be happy to concentrate its limited resources in areas that would produce good effects for the country.

According to him, “if the private sector can bring excellence to our universities, the government can as well do same. So, working hand in hand with ASUU as we are currently doing is a model we must keep.

”We will not be going to war with ASUU all the time. We can do constructive engagement. If there is something that government can do and it says it can’t, I am here to say no, you can because I am privy to some information.

“So, we will give the public university system a pride of place, so that when next global assessment is done, we will get more Nigerian universities in the first 1,000 in Africa.”