The Federal Government has accused the Academic Staff Union of Universities of being responsible for the on-going #EndSARS protest and other civil unrest across the country.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, made the allegation on Thursday as the government resumed negotiations with ASUU over its lingering industrial dispute.
Ngige said but for the strike action by the lecturers, the students engaged in the protest would have been in school learning.
He, however, said the Federal Government was working hard at resolving the impasse with ASUU.
Ngige was joined at the conciliatory meeting in Abuja by his Minister of State, Festus Leyamo, while the ASUU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, led the union’s delegation.
Ngige said: “For the past one week, we have all been on our toes, we have been meeting and we pray that this meeting will yield some good fruits.
“We don’t take very great pleasure to the fact that the children who are supposed to be in school are being recruited into the #EndSARS, #EndStrike, #EndSWAT and all the kind of situations.
“As much as possible, we will try to see how we can meet ourselves halfway, so that we can resolve this crisis to the benefits of all and the country at large.”
