President Bola Tinubu has identified “dialogue and patience” as a virtue for members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) rather than embarking on incessant strike action.

Mr Tinubu spoke at the 33rd convocation ceremony of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), in Ondo State, held on Saturday.

Represented by Professor King-David Terna Yawe of the National University Commission (NUC), Mr Tinubu noted that the industrial harmony being embarked upon by members of ASUU was always a disruption and waste of time of the academic session.

“On our part, we will ensure that motivational activities are put in place to ensure improved productivity. Reciprocative actions would be expected from our universities as Government works hard to raise the bar of a conducive teaching and learning environment.

“To whom much is given, much is expected. Dialogue, patience, and positive engagements are better means of achieving results over strike actions.

“Industrial disharmony does nothing but disrupt life, waste time and elongate the academic calendar. Therefore, all avenues for dialogue must be explored and exhausted before strike actions are considered, and as the last resort,” he said at the convocation ceremony.

Mr Tinubu, however, charged the university union to cooperate with his government to deliver the needed development by always ensuring an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity on the campuses by shunning incessant strike action.

He reiterated that no student would drop out of tertiary institutions as a result of his or her inability to pay tuition under his government.

According to him, his government was not unaware of the challenges facing higher education in the country.

He explained that his government was already making efforts to address the challenges, noting that shortly after his inauguration into office, he signed the student loan bill into law.

“My government would not shirk its responsibilities in this regard. We will ensure that educational institutions get their dues to perform their statutory duties optimally. To put this in motion, one of my first actions as the President of Nigeria after my inauguration was the signing of the Students Loan Bill into law.

“This act will enable indigent students in all our tertiary institutions to have access to interest-free loans, which they would pay back at their convenience in future when they are gainfully employed. Under my watch and as I have said in my manifesto, no student will drop out of school as a result of inability to pay school charges,” Mr Tinubu said.

Remarking, Adenike Temidayo Oladiji, the Vice Chancellor of FUTA, saluted the president for his investment in the education sector so far.

Mrs Oladiji said a total of 3,491 students graduated with first degrees in the institution, adding that the graduates had been found worthy in good character.

She revealed that a female student, Oluwanifemi Olajuyigbe of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, was the best graduate with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.93 and was conferred with first-class honours

“Out of the total number, 195 students have first class, 1,510 have second class honours (upper division), 1,515 students finished with second class honours (lower division), 254 have third-class, and two students finished with a pass,” Mrs Oladiji disclosed.