The Federal Government has appealed to the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, to rescind its opposition to the registration of two new academic unions in the Nigerian public university system.

The new unions - the Congress for Nigerian University Academics, CONUA, and the Nigeria Association of Medical and Dental Academics, NAMDA – had received letters of recognition recently during a ceremony at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment in Abuja.

However, the President of NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, demanded for the withdrawal of the letters issued to the unions on the grounds that their registration contravened the laws guiding trade unionism.

In his reply, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige appealed to NLC to allow the new unions to exist in the spirit of Freedom of Association.

The explained that CONUA and NAMDA were regrouped from the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, for efficiency and effectiveness in the system and more importantly, to protect these groups of university teachers whose worldview differs from the restive parent union.