Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello claims the strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities has lingered due to activities of political saboteurs in and outside President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime.

He blamed the president for not dealing with the “political aspect of Academic Staff Union (ASUU).”

“What this administration failed to do is to remove the political aspect of ASUU and other associated problems from academics,” Mr Bello said. “That’s why we are facing what we are facing today.”

Mr Bello said “At an appropriate time, we will point to you those who are responsible” in an interview with Arise TV on Wednesday.

“I am deeply concerned about our children’s future that is being toyed with. Unfortunately, this is part of the saboteurs within this administration and outside,” he said. 

Since February 14, the ASUU strike has left most public universities in the country shut, with students’ academics put on hold.

The National Industrial Court of Nigeria on Wednesday ordered lecturers to rerun to the classroom. 

However, President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Emmanuel Osodeke, described the court injunction as a “catastrophe”.

The union has been at loggerheads with successive administrations who have failed to meet an agreement reached with the union in 2009.

Part of the issues under contention are the adoption of the Universities Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) for paying universities’ staff salaries instead of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System and the payment of academic earned allowance (EAA).