Ngige who made this known while speaking during an interview on Arise TV, noted that unlike ASUU members that have most of their children in private universities, his kids are in public higher institutions.

The minister stated this in reaction to comments that government officials have been dragging the ongoing negotiations with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) because their children school abroad.

While describing the comments as untrue, Ngige restated the federal government's commitment to end the eight-month strike embarked on by the educational body.

Ngige said:

“I have three biological children in public schools. They are in public schools; they are not in private universities. Unlike ASUU members who have most of their children in private universities, three of mine are here. So, I am a very big stakeholder in the public tertiary school system.”

“So, ASUU cannot accuse me of not being nationalistic enough. Anything that will help the university system here, I am in the forefront.”“So, when ASUU says politicians don’t care because they have taken their children abroad, Chris Ngige cares because my children are not abroad even though they have dual nationality – two of them have American citizenship; they can be in America but I choose them to be here with me.