Minister begs varsity workers to focus on students welfare

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has urged labour unions, especially those within the educational sector, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and others to prioritise the welfare and education of Nigerian students over strikes.

Alausa spoke at the opening of the 359th Quadrennial National delegates conference of SSANU held in Abuja, on Wednesday.

The minister noted that industrial action should not be the first line of defence in seeking governmental attention to the union’s demands.

He acknowledged the frustrations experienced by the unions over unfulfilled government agreements in the past but assured them that the administration of President Bola Tinubu remained committed to delivering on promises and agreements.

He highlighted the President’s dedication to making tough, long-term decisions for the betterment of the nation.

“Honestly, I know you as an association, ASUU, NASU, everybody collectively, your psyche has been affected, because the government has gone into agreement with you, and most of the time, the government has not fulfilled its part of the agreement.

“But let me promise you this, President Bola Tinubu is a democrat, he will work to meet his obligation and agreement that he enters with you.

“When the President was campaigning around the country, he told Nigeria, ‘I’ll be honest with you, I’ll take the difficult decision.’

“And I wish today that these difficult decisions were made 10, 20, 30 years ago. If those decisions were taken, we wouldn’t be here today. But now, this President came in and he is meeting, and he will continue to meet his obligations, his promises to Nigerians,” he said.

Alausa, who was recently redeployed into the ministry, provided insights into the financial challenges that had limited the government’s ability to meet union demands.

He pointed out the previous administration’s high expenditures on subsidies and artificially low exchange rates, noting that such practices drained the nation’s resources, benefiting primarily the wealthiest individuals.

“The subsidies cost Nigeria almost $1bn daily, while artificially supporting the exchange rate costs an additional $500m monthly. These policies were unsustainable and took resources away from critical sectors like education,” he said.

The minister urged the unions to give the government the benefit of the doubt and to engage in collective bargaining with mutual respect.

“We have assembled a committee led by respected Nigerians, including Alhaji Yahaya Ahmed, former Head of the Service, to negotiate with unions.

“This administration is committed to listening and collaborating. Let us prioritise the future of our children and work together to keep them in school,” he stated.

Also speaking, former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba, expressed labour unions’ frustrations with repeated breaches of agreements.

“Failure to honour collective bargaining agreements has been a major source of strikes in Nigeria,” he stated.

Wabba cited the financial and social costs of strikes, referencing the significant economic losses incurred during the 2012 petroleum subsidy strike.

Wabba also called for reforms to improve the collective bargaining system, stressing the need for trust and transparency from both government and unions.

He proposed establishing a formal structure, similar to South Africa’s Labour Council, where quarterly meetings between union representatives and government officials would foster ongoing dialogue and address issues proactively.

On his part, SSANU National President, Mohammed Ibrahim, called for a shift in the narrative around strikes and industrial relations, stating that unions were too often perceived as “strike-happy.”

Ibrahim noted that the theme of the conference, “Respecting Collective Bargaining Agreements and Industrial Peace in a Democracy,” reflected SSANU’s commitment to industrial peace.

“The experiences in the last year for the Nigerian worker, especially members of SSANU, have been particularly nasty and brutish.

“The greatest challenge besetting the Nigerian educational system and more particularly the tertiary education has been the spate of industrial actions occasioned by breaches of agreements entered between the unions and their employers.

“Since the advent of the civilian or if you like, democratic government in 1999, we have witnessed increased accusations of failure of collective bargaining, at at both federal and state government levels.

“As a result, industrial tensions in our tertiary institutions, protests and strikes have become the order of the day.

“Unfortunately, the trend has created a situation where unions and their leaders are being perceived as being too belligerent or strike-happy.

“It becomes imperative, therefore, for us to hold conversations on this trend with a view to changing the narrative and causing a paradigm shift to the benefit of not only the union, but even the governments, the stakeholders, students and the entire nation,” he stated.