Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, has appealed to labour unions in the sector to prioritise education over strike for the good and future of Nigerian students.

Mr Alausa made the appeal at the 359th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) on Wednesday in Abuja.

The conference’s theme was “Respecting Collective Bargaining Agreements and Industrial Peace in a Democracy.”

He said industrial action should not be the first option in seeking the government’s attention to the unions’ demands.

“I know you as an association, together with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Non-Academic Staff of Universities(NASU), collectively, your psyche has been affected.

“The government has gone into agreement with you, and most of the time, the government has not fulfilled their own 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.

” Let us prioritise the future of our children and work together to keep them in school,” he said.

Mr Alausa also said the government was constrained by certain financial limitations like heavy expenditures by the previous administration on subsidies and artificially low exchange rates.

He said these policies had drained the country’s resources and benefitted the wealthy at the expense of crucial sectors like education.

 “Subsidies cost Nigeria nearly $1 billion daily, while artificially maintaining the exchange rate added another $500 million monthly.

“These unsustainable practices took resources away from critical sectors,” he said.

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

“We have assembled a committee led by respected Nigerians, including Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, former Head of Service, to negotiate with unions,” he said.

Also, Ayuba Wabba, former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said labour unions’ were frustrated by repeated breaches of agreements with the federal government.

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

Mr Wabba called for the establishment of a Labour Council, similar to South Africa’s model, that would facilitate quarterly meetings between government and union representatives.

He added that this would help address emerging issues proactively and foster trust.

Mohammed Ibrahim, national president of SSANU, called for a shift in perceptions around unions.

(NAN)