The immediate past education minister, 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 failed to resolve while in office.
Our source inquiries at Bayero Universities, Kano, BUK, where Mrs Rufai was teaching Education Curriculum before joining the Jigawa State cabinet in 2007 as commissioner, and later the federal cabinet in 2011, revealed that though the former minister had returned to the institution, she could not resume work because of the industrial action.
Public Relations Officer of BUK, Mustapha Zaharaddeen, told Our source in a telephone interview today that the former minister had joined her colleagues in the strike.
“How can she teach? She has joined the strike. She has no choice. How can anybody teach? Don’t forget, ASUU National President is from BUK,” Mr Zaharaddeen said.
When asked if she had joined the ASUU strike, she merely retorted, “It is an unfair question. Ask my university.”
Efforts to reach the ASUU President failed as his mobile telephone number repeatedly
indicated it had been switched off.
Meanwhile during her reception in her home state Jigawa after her sack from President Jonathan's cabinet, she was asked by journalists whether she would join the ASUU strike, which she was negotiating away while in government, she responded “Don’t make me controversial, don’t make me controversial.”