ASUU STRIKE: ‘The Minister Wants To Start A Fight He Cannot Finish’ – UNN ASUU

The Chairman of ASUU at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Dr Ifeanyichukwu Abada, on Thursday said that the lecturers were not bothered by the federal government’s one week ultimatum to return to class which it issued yesterday.

Speaking with journalist yesterday in Nsukka, Abada said the union has no business with the minister who issued the order but with President Jonathan, adding that the order cannot work.

“It is unfortunate that the minister thinks that he can use his office to threaten lecturers. The December 4 ultimatum to lecturers to resume work or risk being sacked cannot work,’’ Abada said.

According to Abada, the minister was issuing a ‘military order’ rather than seek ways of settling things amicably with the lecturers.

Also reacting to the ultimatum, the immediate past chairman of the branch, Prof. Aloysius Okolie, described the ultimatum as unfortunate and an act of over-zealousness.

“Let the minister go ahead and sack all the lecturers in the country if he has such powers.

“The minister wants to start a fight he cannot finish,” said Okolie, who is also a senior lecturer in the department of political science.

He said it was against labour laws for the government to use the instrument of starvation on striking workers by invoking no-work, no-pay policy.