Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has not taken over Federal Government’s negotiation with the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities, contrary to media reports.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has not taken over the Federal Government’s negotiation with the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities, contrary to media reports.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, disclosed this in a message he posted on his twitter handle, @akandeoj, on Friday.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, had in an interview with State House correspondents at the end of Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting given an indication that Osinbajo had taken over the negotiation.
He said a meeting would be held in the Vice President’s office after which they will get back to ASUU for another round of meeting.
“At council today, the Vice President has taken over some of the aspects of the negotiations and discussions. So we are continuing the meeting in his office and when we finish meeting, we will get back to ASUU for another round of meeting.
“We are hopeful that we will be able to go to an appreciable extent to solve some of the outstanding issues that is preventing them from going back to work,” Ngige had said.
But Akande said the media reports that the Vice President had taken over the negotiation are untrue and inaccurate.
He said Ngige and the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, would continue to lead the negotiation.
“News reports that Vice President Osinbajo has taken over ASUU negotiations is untrue and inaccurate. Labour and Education Ministers will continue to lead the talks,” Akande wrote.
