Prof Rufai says it is now unfair to ask her to speak on the strike.
The immediate past Minister of Education, Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai, who
was sacked from the federal cabinet last month, has joined the ongoing
strike by Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, which she
desperately tried to break while in office.
PREMIUM TIMES enquries at Bayero Universities, Kano, BUK where Mrs
Rufai was teaching Education Curriculum before joining the Jigawa State
cabinet in 2007 and later the federal cabinet in 2011, revealed that
although the former minister had returned to the institution, she was
yet to commence work as a result of the ongoing industrial action.
Public Relations Officer of BUK, Mustapha Zaharaddeen, told this
newspaper in a telephone interview on Wednesday that the former minister
had joined her colleagues in the strike.
“How can she teach? She has joined the strike,” Mr. Zaharaddeen said.
“She has no choice. How can anybody teach? Don’t forget, ASUU National
President is from BUK.”
When PREMIUM TIMES asked Mrs Rufai on Wednesday if she had joined the
ASUU strike, she merely retorted, “It is an unfair question. Ask my
university.”
Efforts to reach the ASUU President, Mr. Fagge, was unsuccessful, as
his mobile telephone number repeatedly indicated it had been switched
off.
Mrs Rufai, the first female education minister from the northern part
of Nigeria, was sacked from the federal cabinet alongside eight other
ministers last September 11.
The other sacked ministers were Olugbenga Ashiru (Foreign Affairs),
Hadiza Mailaifa (Environment), Shamsudeen Usman (National Planning), Ama
Pepple (Land, Housing and Urban Development), Ita Ewa (Science and
Technology).
Ministers of State for Defence, Power and Agriculture, Olusola Obada,
Zainab Kuchi and Bukar Tijani, respectively were also relieved of their
positions.
Mr. Jonathan is yet to appoint their replacements.
Before she was fired, Mrs Rufai, who became Education minister in
2011, was a member of the Governor Gabriel Suswam-led Federal Government
negotiation team, which held discussions with ASUU officials led by the
Union’s President, Nasiru Fagge, who incidentally teaches at BUK.
However, the government team could not make any head way in resolving
the issues that led to the strike which is now entering its third
month, until Mrs Rufai left government, unceremoniously.
 |
| From Left: Former Minister Of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i; Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (Nuc), Prof. Julius Okojie; Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim and Minister of Labour, Chukwuemeka Nwogu, at an ASUU negotiation meeting in Abuja |
Mr. Rufai repeatedly blamed her colleagues for failing to call off the strike despite the concessions made by government.
The former minister returned to her home state, Jigawa, two days
after her sack and was welcomed by a large crowd which had gathered in
Aminu Kano Triangle, Dutse, the state capital.
The crowd repeatedly shouted her name in excitement when she arrived at the venue, accompanied by her husband, Ahmed Rufai.
Responding to questions from journalists during the reception, the
former minister, a professor of curriculum studies, promised that she
would return to the classroom the following Monday.
“I plan to go back to my university, I am a professor in education in
curriculum studies and I will report on Monday and then take a brief
leave to have a kind of rest, but I am going back to the university,”
she said.
On whether she would join the ASUU strike, which she was negotiating
away while in government, Mr Rufai, said “Don’t make me controversial,
don’t make me controversial.”
She said she had no regrets that she was relieved of her appointment,
saying “This is the fourth time that I am handing over in my life. I
have been a commissioner twice and I have been a minister twice and it
is really not a surprise and depending on what the circumstances may
be.”
Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, under whom she served as
commissioner and who nominated her as minister, revealed that a few
weeks before her sack, Mr Jonathan told him she (Rufai) “was doing a
good job.”
Mr. Lamido, was, however, silent on whether she was fired because he
(Lamido) joined six other governors to float the New PDP led by Kawu
Baraje. The group is opposed to Mr Jonathan’s bid to contest the 2015
presidential election.
“Ruqayyatu has discharged her responsibilities as minister
responsibly and I repeat there is no anger or ill feeling because what
the president did is within his constitutional powers. We have no pain,
no ill feeling,” the governor said.
“There is need for people to know why we are gathered here. Anything that has a beginning has an end,” the governor said.
“We have no grudge against her removal. We love anybody that loves us. It was the president’s wisdom to appoint her.
“Let me remind us that as Muslims we were very happy when our sister,
daughter, mother and grandmother, was picked by our brother President
Jonathan.
“Jigawa State is the only state in the North that has two ministers
and this is because of the attachment the president has for Jigawa.
“This is not the time for politics, the time will come, the purpose here is to honour our daughter. That time will come.”
No comments:
Post a Comment