FACT CHECK: Did Chris Ngige Slap ASUU President, Osodeke, In A Meeting?
A video showing Chris Ngige, the minister of labour and employment, storming out of a meeting between government representatives and the executive members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Saturday sparked a number of responses.
In the video, a few members of the House of Representatives and some government leaders converse with representatives of the ASUU, led by its president Emmanuel Osodeke.
At one point, Ngige and Osodeke’s conversation turned tense. Ngige asserted that Osodeke had stated that the Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government had failed tertiary institutions and should be overthrown.
The minister left the meeting early after Osodeke refuted Ngige’s assertions, and some social media users have criticised him for “assaulting” Osodeke as he did so.
CLAIM: Ngige attacked the ASUU president violently as he left a meeting.
Did you witness Minister Ngige physically attack the ASUU President? He walked out of the meeting as if it were not absurd enough. It’s so repulsive to watch!” A communications expert named Yemie Fash tweeted on Sunday.
A social media influencer named Kawa Garba also asserted that Ngige struck Osodeke.
“During a heated disagreement, Chris Ngige violently slapped the president of ASUU and left the House of Representatives’ negotiation table, but there is no outcry on social media. Imagine if it were the opposite,” Garba wrote on Saturday.
VERIFICATION: FIJ examined the conversation and verified. Ngige abruptly exited the gathering. Ngige tapped Osodeke on the back three times as he walked up to the open door and addressed him with the least amount of affection possible.
CONCLUSION: Ngige used an open palm to tap Osodeke three times on the back. Although Osodeke appeared to reject Ngige’s touch right away, it was clear that neither intended violence.
VERDICT: The assertion that Ngige violently attacked Osodeke during the conversation is untrue and misleading.
