The Minister Of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has described false a report claiming that President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday ordered him to hand off negotiations with the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
He made the clarification Wednesday while speaking with State House reporters.
Ngige said: “The truth of the matter is, there is no such thing. It’s just a categorical untruth. There is nothing like hands off.”
On whether the two weeks directive by the President to resolve the issue was realistic, the labour minister said he proposed one week to resolve the issue but the Minister of Education Adamu Adamu volunteered to resolve the issues with ASUU in two weeks.
Ngige, who said he hoped the issue would be resolved at the stipulated time, advised the unions to table their case before the Ministry of Education whom the President had directed to resolve the issue.
