PDP Responsible For Lingering ASUU Strike – Keyamo

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, has blamed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the ongoing industrial action of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

According to Keyamo, ASUU is on strike because of the agreement the PDP-led government signed with the union in 2009.

Keyamo further stated that between 1999 and 2015, when the All Progressives Congress took over power, ASUU has gone on strike 12 times, amounting to 900 days.

The minister stated this on Monday during an interview with Trust Tv.

He said, “The ASUU thing you are talking about. What is the problem of ASUU now? It’s the 2009 agreement signed by the PDP government. They signed agreements with ASUU that they couldn’t fulfil. We had to inherit those agreements and now struggling to renegotiate those agreements.

“Imagine how irresponsible a government can be when they went into agreements with ASUU and signed conditions that they couldn’t fulfil and that is why ASUU is on strike so let us tell Nigerians that ASUU is not on strike because APC signed an agreement with them. It was the PDP that signed the agreement.

“We are not shifting blame; we are going to tackle the problem. Between 1999 and 2015 when they handed over to the APC, ASUU was on strike 12 times. I have the statistics amounting to 900 days.”

PDP Reacts To Keyamo’s Accusation On ASUU Strike.

The spokesperson for the PDP presidential campaign, Daniel Bwala, while reacting to the allegation of Keyamo, noted that the main opposition party was sincere in its negotiation process with the union, unlike the APC government.

Bwala said, “Ask Adams Oshiomhole who was the Lord Lugard of labour unionism of that time. He was very blunt, strong and constant on that. In all of those periods when they were on strike either by ASUU or any of the labour unions around the time of PDP, there was constructive engagement, which means all parties were honest and realistic. The argument ASUU is making on all occasions when they were on strike this present government shift the goal post.”