Former chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, has accused Chris Ngige, Nigerian minister of labour and employment, of taking the industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) personal and turning it into a private dispute.
Jega in an interview on Arise TV, alleged that Ngige is having a personal quarrel with the minister of education and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
He also faulted the Minister for registering two breakout factions of ASUU and also trying to proscribe ASUU.
Jega said: “Unfortunately, right now, the minister of labour is not helping matters. He has turned this into a personal quarrel between him and the minister of education on one hand and between himself and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on the other.
“While many other people are trying to find a way of addressing this situation so that students can go back to school and ASUU can go back to work, he is busy creating challenges.
“He now took the matter to the industrial court, now today, he now registered two unions and he is trying to proscribe ASUU.
“If this is allowed by this government, I think this is a recipe for disaster and it may really create more problems than it can solve on this matter of strike in the universities.”