Amaechi, New PDP Behind Lingering ASUU Strike – Wike

The Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike has accused Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and his cohorts in the new Peoples’ Democratic Party, nPDP, of being behind the prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU. Wike, who spoke through the Secretary-General of the Grassroots Development Initiative, GDI, Samuel Nwanosike, also called on well-meaning Nigerians to call Gov. Amaechi to order and stop embarrassing people of Rivers State.

The minister was reacting to a statement credited to Amaechi that rather than focus on the strike embarked upon by ASUU, and recently ASUP, he (Wike) was busy gallivanting campaigning for his governorship ambition.

The Rivers governor, who spoke through the Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, Chief Tony Okocha, said: “ASUU members have been on strike for over three months. ASUP members decided to resume their suspended strike over Federal Government’s insincerity and inability to honour the agreement signed with the union. Is it not shameful that the Federal Government signed an agreement with ASUU in 2009 and yet to fully implement the terms?

“Whether ASUU and ASUP members are on strike for one year, is not Wike’s business. He is gallivanting all over Rivers State for his 2015 governorship campaign and using President Jonathan as a smokescreen”, he stated.

But Wike debunked the allegation, saying the people of Rivers State were very proud of President Goodluck Jonathan, not because his wife, Dame Patience, hails from Okrika in the state just as he insisted that whether Amaechi likes it or not, the president would be re-elected in 2015, in view of his “impressive” performance.

Nwanosike said: “Wike is not campaigning for 2015. GDI is doing thanksgiving and inauguration at the ward and LGA levels. GDI is a socio-political organisation to promote good governance and not a political party.

“Chief Wike is very successful as a minister of state for education and he is trying his best as the supervising minister of education to resolve the strike by ASUU and ASUP. Amaechi and his cohorts are behind the strike, because of their political interest, to embarrass President Jonathan, who is transforming Nigeria.

“Whether Amaechi and his co-travellers like it or not, President Jonathan will be overwhelmingly re-elected in 2015.”

The Minister of State for Education added that Amaechi, who is also the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, chairman was busy deceiving Rivers people, alleging that the government’s poorly-constructed roads in Port Harcourt, the state capital and other parts of the state had become an eyesore, in spite of the huge allocations to the state.