Employ Negotiations, Shun Strikes, Buhari Tells ASUU, Others Trade Unions
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has advised the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other trade unions in the country to employ negotiations and shun strikes as means of pressing home their demands.
Buhari, represented by the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, stated this at the 74th Foundation Day and Convocation ceremonies of the University of Ibadan (UI) in Ibadan on Thursday, November 17.
He commended the efforts of the university administration in maintaining the great reputation upon which the institution was established and appreciated the leading role of the institution in postgraduate education and the production of the much-needed academic staff for tertiary institutions within and outside Nigeria.
The President stressed the need for discipline and stability in all universities, which he noted, holds the key to the future of any nation, saying it was disheartening that all the universities’ trade unions declared protracted trade disputes this year.
He stated that the disputes had dire consequences for the economy and unnecessary disruption of the academic calendar of universities, adding: “There is a need for the trade unions, especially ASUU, to shun the weapon of strike as a tool for pressing home their demands.
“Strike only compounds the already poor state of our education sector, and erodes the national and international reputation of our public universities.”
He urged the organised private sector to continue its support for the education sector, adding that government cannot do it alone.
In a remark, the Sultan of Sokoto and Chancellor of UI, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar Ill, lamented the damage caused by ASUU’s eight months strike, saying “the worst hit are our children.”
Abubakar stressed the need to improve the standard of education in Nigeria through collective efforts, noting that the country had been providing workforce for other countries to show that its education sector was not the worst.
Also speaking, the institution’s Pro-Chancellor, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, urged all stakeholders in the education sector to ensure a crisis-free and uninterrupted academic calendar.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, said his administration had continued to tackle challenges associated with providing a healthy, safe and conducive environment for sound education.
