The Peoples Democratic Party, on Thursday, in Abuja demanded the apology and immediate resignation of the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, for “abusing and walking out on Nigerian students who went to his office to plead for his intervention to end the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.”
The main opposition also called on the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to sack his minister as soon as possible.
The call is contained in a statement signed on Thursday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, titled ‘Attack on Students: PDP demands education minister, Adamu’s resignation’.
PDP held that “by arrogantly insulting and refusing to attend to the member of the National Association of Nigerians Students, Adamu Adamu recklessly abdicated his duties and exhibited an unpardonable discourteousness unfitting of a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, let alone a minister of education.
“Our Party insists that Adamu Adamu’s action is an assault and embarrassment to the nation’s education sector.
“It amounts to spitting in the face of the generality of the Nigerian youths as well as their parents; a conduct that is
characteristic of the impunity, insensitivity and arrogant disdain for Nigerians which have permeated the All Progressives Congress administration.”
It claimed that but for the maturity displayed by the students, Adamu’s attitude was capable of causing a breakdown of law and order at the venue of the meeting.
Fuming further, the main opposition said, “By stating that he could only comprehend a point in the list of very concise serious issues raised by the students including the demand for adequate funding for education, reopening of universities and the negative implication of constant industrial crisis in tertiary institutions; Adamu shows that either he is downright inattentive or lacks the required capacity to assimilate or comprehend critical issues.
“Such only points to the fact that he is not a fit and proper person to continue to hold public office as minister.”
Calling the education minister a square peg in a round, the PDP said he lacks the proficiency to understand, comprehend and effectively attend to issues of education in our country.
While urging the students not to relent in their demands, the Party called on President Buhari to sack Adamu and appoint a new minister of education from the array of qualified academicians and seasoned administrators “who can understand and effectively manage our education sector.”
Speaking with our Correspondent on Thursday, the Director of Press, Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Goong, said “the Minister did not walk out on the Students. Those who reported that were not at the meeting at all and I challenged them in a statement I issued where I responded as an eye witness.
“The meeting was held, I was there. The Minister listened to four speakers selected by the NANS leaders themselves. The last person that spoke was the President of NANS. After listening to them, the Minister said he had noted all their demands including the one where they said they want representation at the negotiations.
“The Minister said he can grant them observer status. Then he rose to go. I don’t know where this issue of walking out on them came from. If a camera captures the moment of the Minister rising from the seat to go and then people said he walked away, it doesn’t make any sense.”
