The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Lagos Branch has lambasted the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, over what it termed “unguarded statement of a fatuous Minister”.
ASSU made the remarks in a press release signed by the Chairman, ASUU-UNILAG, Mr. Dele Ashiru titled “Consider Farming as Alternative Profession: The Unguarded Statement of a Fatuous Minister“.
ASUU condemned the statement credited to Mr. Nwajiuba saying that it disparaged the Academia by urging members of the Academic Stoff Union of Universities (ASUU) “to leave teaching and consider going to forming”.
Mr. Ashiru said that the utterances of the Minister of State for Education, is to “reckless, ill thought-out, unconscionable and unfortunate”.
He lamented that the statement was much like stuff emanating from back-street beer parlour patrons.
According to him, it eloquently depicts how hopelessly unknowledgeable a Minister of State for Education can be about burning issues under his Ministry.
“Clearly, the suggestion that the cream of Nigeria’s quality human capitol should better go farming for demanding that our universities be adequately funded has further exposed him as an unpatriotic and dangerous undertaker, who has no business in the Education Ministry,” he said.
Ashiru further lamented that the utterances of the Minister “has undoubtedly shown how myopic and shallow his understanding of how the principles of collective bargaining works in a supposedly democratic society.”
Concerning Nwajiuba’s stance on payment of salaries to Academic Staff in Nigeria Universities. Ashiru said:
“His erroneous allusion to the payment of salaries to Academic Staff in Nigeria Universities up to July 2020, eloquently confirms his ignorance about happenings in the Ministry of Education.
“Nwajiuba’s assertion that “you should not force yourself on the man who has the money” is symptomatic of the sense of arrogance and ownership of Nigeria, by a coterie of ruling elites.
“That a public servant can be so disgustingly insensitive to the plight of the people he superintends over is to say the least tragic.
“Mr. Nwojiuba’s unguarded utterances is a clear manifestation of the lack of due diligence in the appointment of public officers to sensitive government departments in Nigeria.”
Ashiru noted that rather than making cheeky statements, the Minister should concentrate on finding ways to implement the 2019 Memorandum of Action the federal government signed with the Union.
He also urged him to put in motion the process that would enable the speedy conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGNI ASUU Agreement.
ASUU, therefore, called on the Honourable Minister of Education Mallam Adamu Adamu, to “rein Mr. Nwajuiba before he wreaks further havoc on an already traumatized sector”.
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