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The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, has called on Nigerians to be patient with President Bola Tinubu, affirming that the incessant strikes by university lecturers, under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, will come to an end soon.
He appealed to the leadership of ASUU to focus on dialogue rather than resorting to strikes.
This comes as the leadership of ASUU has given a 14days ultimatum to the federal government to meet its yawning demands and the Federal Government had in turn set up a 31-member panel to renegotiate the agreement with the academic unions in an effort to avert a fresh strike.
However, Akume assured Nigerians that strikes would soon be a thing of the past as he expressed optimism that the administration of Tinubu would end the challenges of ASUU.
Akume said this in a statement by the Director of Information and Public Relations, OSGF, Segun Imohiosen, after the leadership of the Conference of Alumni Association of Nigerian Universities led by its President, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.
According to the statement, “Having urged the association to complement the government’s efforts in the development of the nation’s tertiary institution, the SGF also assured Nigerians that industrial action will soon be a thing of the past under the present administration and urged the leadership of tertiary institutions to always toe the path of dialogue rather than resorting to strike.
"Federal Government is committed to repositioning the nation’s education sector for sustainable development."
He said, “No nation can make progress without investing in education, a nation that toys with education toys with the destiny of its citizens. President Tinubu believes that every Nigerian, irrespective of status, should have access to quality education.”
He, however, commended the Tertiary Education Trust Fund for its giant strides in providing quality infrastructure across different tertiary institutions in the six geopolitical zones in the country.
Speaking earlier, the President of the Conference of Alumni Association of Nigerian Universities, Ochefu, stated that the association was seeking collaboration with the government to enhance value for respective alma maters in the country to improve tertiary institutions in the country.
He also appealed to the Federal Government to consider its members in the appointment of Governing Councils of federal tertiary institutions and appointments on Federal Boards, and those deserving should also receive national honours.
