73 days into the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike, Minister of State for Education, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba has declared his intention to run for the office of the President of Nigeria, under the umbrella of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Nwajiuba made his decision known in Abuja, at a reception hosted by Project Nigeria Group on Wednesday, April 27, 2022.
TheFact Daily recalls that the APC last week announced that it’s presidential nomination form was pegged at 100 million naira.
According to Nwajiuba, a lot needed to be done as many Nigerian citizens were outside, hungry and unemployed. He also said many more are threatened by unwarranted and unnecessary internal security and economic challenges.
Therefore, he was anwering the call to take up a work path that built on the solid foundations that had been laid thus far. And to also, “provide different paradigms for new challenges and provide the platform for a vista that accommodates subject experts to pull together forces to meet our Nations challenges”, he said.
He continued: “I thank with profound respect my fellow Nigerians both those present here and those in all our nooks and cranny, whose desire for a re generation by a forward generation and breed of political workers, has led them to identify me as their Chief Recruit for the job of moulding Nigeria along the path of its collective dreams.
“They have gathered resources from every part of the country and purchased the form for which the APC will nominated a candidate to fly its flag in the Presidential Elections in February 2023, they have now presented this to me.
“I now solemnly accept to run for us all, and bear our Party’s Flag into the elections and become our next President
“This is the path I propose to thread, having been properly schooled, experienced and tested in the last 30 years of active politics”, the Presidential aspirant said.
In a second development, Nwajiuba while reacting to the ASUU strike said there was no need for them to be on strike.
He said it was the duty of the government to give life to the
2009 agreement signed with the Union to make sure that Federal Government owned Universities were properly funded but government’s funding is very limited due to insecurity.
“And because of the additional challenges of security, they have had to repeatedly borrow money to finance sectors that would bring returns such as railways etc.
“However, federal government has continued to contain this and pay the salaries. The quirks of some of the items that are initially include in the demands is the use of IPPIS instead of UTAS developed by ASUU.
“And they believe that this is not very well suited for their own activity. Government however, is the only person who pays and therefore it is impractical to continuously expect that if somebody who is paid a salary continues to dictate to the person who pays him.
“Why they have chosen to go on strike over this is something that neither you or I can explain. The second part of their complaint deals with end allowances and allowances as the name implies, refers to what you have entered as an allowance over and above your salary,” he explained.
The Education Czar further said ASUU did not need to be on strike to get their salaries paid, saying that the ministry do not hire nor fire lecturers, but the government.
“They are in a contractual relationship with the federal government of Nigeria. Their salaries are paid from the IPPIS headquarters at the accountant General’s Office. So whatever the results have to be resolved at that level.
“So what we have done as a country is to appeal to our children who have been home for nearly three months. There is nothing that ASUU wants that we have not agreed to.
“We would like them to return to classes so that our students can go back to the classroom. As the nation makes money, they will get money. What we don’t want is that children miss the opportunity of their own time, because there is a timeframe within which for them to grow. The child cannot wait. It is important that ASUU returned to class,” he said.
