Nigerians have expressed dissatisfaction with the declaration of intention by the minister of state for education, Chukwuemeka Nwajuiba to contest for the presidency in the 2023 general elections.
Nwajuiba officially declared his intention to contest in the 2023 presidential election, Wednesday, in Abuja where he picked the expression of interest and nomination forms for the presidential primary of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
The N100 million nomination forms were said to be purchased for him by a support group, ‘Project Nigeria.’
Nigerians, however, took to social media to condemn the move by the minister to purchase the N100 million naira form despite the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) which began since February 14, 2022.
A Twitter user, @ Adedejirx tweeted: “APC to Jonathan Government in 2013 during ASUU strike. Meanwhile, universities have been shut down for 73 days now due to ASUU strike under APC’s watch. We don’t deserve this! ”
Another user, @adeyandudeji said “Minister of education just bought N100m APC presidential nomination form and ASUU is still on strike. Today is 72 days since students have been home. These are the clowns that deceived Nigerians with CHANGE in 2015.”
“Welcome to Nigeria where minister of education can afford N100m APC presidential nomination form, while ASUU is still on strike”, @ real Amakaike said.
Read also: $75,000 disappears at APC headquarters
Also, @Chrisq4impact tweeted “Don’t lie on their behalf. Your children gain nothing from this shameful tweet. How does a minister whose salary is N750,000 monthly afford a N100m form? List the donors let’s see. Shameless!
Meanwhile, Nwajiuba, during his declaration speech, the minister urged the ASUU to return to classes so that students can go back to the classroom while the Federal Government work on meeting their demands.
He said it was the duty of the government to give life to the 2009 agreement signed with the union to make sure that the universities are properly funded but the said the government’s funding is very limited.
The minister further said ASUU does not need to be on strike to get your salaries paid, saying that the ministry does not hire lecturers, nor fire them, but the government.
“They are in a contractual relationship with the federal government of Nigeria. Their salaries are paid from the IPPIS headquarters at the accountant general’s office, so whatever that has to be resolved at that level.
“So what we have done as a country is to appeal to our children who have been home for nearly three months. There is nothing that ASUU wants that we have not agreed to. We would like them to return to classes so that our students can go back to the classroom,” he said.
The minister furthermore said he accepted to run and bear the Party’s Flag into the elections and become the next President to build on the foundations that have been laid by the current administration.
“I do this recognizing that in the last 7 years, President Muhammadu Buhari has performed extraordinary feats in ensuring that our progressive ideas have been established; physical infrastructure of every type and inclusive policies reaching out to our poor and less privileged. As we strive to uplift Nigeria and Nigerians into a developed state.
“A lot still is outstanding and needs to be done. Many of our citizens are still outside, hungry, unemployed. Many more are threatened by unwarranted and unnecessary internal security and economic challenges.
“Our calling today invites me to; take up a work path that builds on the solid foundations that have been laid thus far. Provide different paradigms for new challenges and provide the platform for a vista that accommodates subject experts to pull together forces to meet our Nations challenges,” he said.
