Education Minister urges university unions to avoid strikes, sustain dialogue

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has appealed to university-based unions to maintain dialogue with the Federal Government and refrain from industrial actions that could disrupt academic activities.

Dr. Alausa made the call on Tuesday in Abuja during the formal unveiling of renegotiated agreements between the government and tertiary institution unions.

He emphasised that the success of the agreements depends on cooperation from all stakeholders in the education sector.

The minister urged union leaders to ignore misinformation that could create disaffection among citizens, adding that President Bola Tinubu remains committed to resolving the challenges of the sector.

“We have a President who did not make campaign promises merely to win an election. He made those promises with the intention of working decisively to fulfil them once sworn into office,” Alausa stated.

Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the Federal Government Negotiation Team, Yayale Ahmed, warned that threats of indefinite strikes over outstanding payments should not be allowed to derail the implementation process. He acknowledged that while the negotiations were challenging, mutual respect and concessions from both parties facilitated the current progress.

The National President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Muhammed Ibrahim, commended the progress made in addressing workers’ demands. He confirmed that recent salary payments have renewed optimism among university employees.

Ibrahim, however, urged the government to expedite action on providing the necessary documentation for other unions whose agreements are yet to be formally processed to ease existing tensions.