The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Tuesday expressed displeasure that the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, still retains his job despite admitting he has failed.
On November 4, Adamu Adamu was widely quoted in the media as saying "I failed as Minister of Education."
ASUU accordingly described President Muhammadu Buhari's inaction against the minister as part of "an evil gang up against public education in Nigeria."
At a peaceful protest in Modibbo Adama University (MAU) Yola, Adamawa State, ASUU accused the Buhari regime of "a hidden agenda targeting the casualization of the academia and by extension suffocating public universities in Nigeria."
As according to them, the two key ministers, Adamu Adamu and Chris Ngige have contributed significantly in keeping the impasse between ASUU and federal government afloat.
ASUU chairperson, El-Maude J G said, "the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, in pursuant of his vendetta and war he declared against ASUU, wrote to the Minister of Finance to pay our members pro-rata salaries, thus, treating us as casual labourers.
"The refusal to pay our members their 7 months withheld salary and payment of pro-rata salary is a clear indication of a hidden agenda targeting the casualisation of the academia.
"Moreover, Adamu Adamu has categorically stated he has failed in discharging his responsibilities but President Buhari is still maintaining him as a Minister."
ASUU raised several other issues in the dispute, saying "ASUU signed three different Memorandum of Action (MOA) with the current government in 2017, 2019 and 2020. But the government failed to implement substantial components of the MOA."
The union noted that almost all those in government at present were products of free education in Nigeria, but they had failed to extend same gesture to the children of the poor. Instead, "they are comfortably siphoning our common resources to educate their children in private and foreign universities," El-Maude added.
While promising to sustain the struggle for the restoration of the university system for the benefit of poor Nigerians, El-Maude vowed that ASUU "will resist all attempts to treat academic staff of universities as casual labourers."