Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa says the Federal Government is dedicated to ending the strike era in Nigeria’s higher institutions, promising better involvement and compliance with academic union agreements.
Alausa made the pledge during an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday, claiming President Bola Tinubu had issued a stern instruction to prevent additional disruptions in tertiary education.
“The President has directed that not again, and I’ll borrow your word, not again ever in this country will ASUU or all our tertiary institution trade unions go on strike,” the minister said.
He stressed the need for better relations with unions and for the government to demonstrate sincerity.
“There has to be a lot of relationship-building with ASUU, NASU, SANU, COEASU, and everybody. And beyond that, the government is demonstrating goodwill. Government meeting its obligations to these unions,” he said.
Alausa stated that previous administrations had failed to implement agreements reached with the unions.
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“They sit, they agree, and they go and say, ‘Tell us when you’re going to implement this. But over the years, the government will just renege on those agreements. But that’s not what we’re doing now. We’re talking with them actively,” he said.
Speaking on concerns about salary delays raised by some lecturers, Alausa clarified that the government had not stopped paying wages.
“We’re paying salaries. We’re paying salaries regularly. What just happened is that after the tertiary institutions went off IPPIS, which was very restrictive to them, the President graciously agreed to that.
“They are now on GIFMIS so that they have better control of their funds.
“The way the government pays its salary, they start from the 25th of the month. They pay people on IPPIS as a first-line priority. And that’s why what happened in the last six months is, while I’m not happy about it, they’ve been paid around the 8th or 9th of the following month,” he explained.
