The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba , says the extant ASUU strike will not be a deterrent to the reopening of tertiary institutions.
The Minister explained that owners of private Universities have appealed, private universities should be reopened if the public institutions were not ready, while recounting on the resumption of activities of worship centres and markets , following the relaxation of the lockdown order.
Nwajiuba made this disclosure at FCT, Abuja, Thursday, during the daily briefing of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19.
Meanwhile, ASUU has been on strike since March, 2020 over lingering issues including an attempt to force the lecturers to enrol on the Federal Government Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) platform.
The Honourable Minister further revealed that the PTF would release directive on when the universities would be reopened, adding, “I am also in consultation with proprietors of private universities in the country who have continued to mount pressure on the government to reopen the education space.”
Nwajiuba regretted that over 62,000 lecturers with more than 10,000 professors, whom he described as patriotic Nigerians had also been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but, however, assured that “they would see reasons to return to classrooms when the institutions are eventually reopened”, he said.
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