Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Federal University of Technology, Lokoja chapter, on Tuesday demanded for the removal of both the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, and his Education counterpart, Adamu Adamu, for their improper handling of the crisis between it and the Federal Government.
The union stated this while staging a solidarity protest on the Adankolo campus of the institution on Tuesday.
Earlier, the union had declared Tuesday as a lecture-free day as ordered by its parent body.
After an early morning deliberation by members of the union, the stage was set for a peaceful demonstration held within the campus up to the main gate with members holding placards with inscriptions such as “Say no to casualisation of lecturers,” “Ngige must go,” “Okija shrine awaits you.”
Others wrote, “Pay our eight months salaries,” “Stop playing politics with our education,” “We are not casual workers,” “Ngige, Adamu must go.”
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The chairman of the FUL branch of ASUU, Dr Joshua Silas, who addressed journalists in the course of the rally, said the way the Federal Government as represented by the two ministers handled the matter had revealed clearly that they were out to destroy public universities.
“We are calling on the President to remove the ministers before they completely destroy our educational system. They want to turn university lecturers into casual workers. This Government wants to destroy public institutions,” they said.