President Ahmed Tinubu has said that poor work ethics and strikes depreciate the quality of academic outcomes and, therefore, called on labour unions within the Nigerian university system to address the problems.
The president spoke during the 7th and 8th combined convocation ceremony of the Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Nduf-Alike Ikwo, in Ebonyi State.
Represented by Charles Igwe, the vice-chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Tinubu said his administration was worried about industrial disharmony in the universities.
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He said the Federal Government was committed to funding university education and providing needs assessments.
“My administration is concerned about the industrial harmony and peace in our universities. I am happy that such peace has made this convocation worthwhile.
“I want to encourage the unions and labour associations in the university system to do their utmost to address the issues of poor work ethics, avoid industrial actions which will depreciate the quality of academic programs”, he said.
On fuel subsidy removal which has brought Nigerians untold hardship, the president said, “We have to take hard decisions which short-term impact has brought difficulties in the condition of living on the masses without which the socio-economic development of the country would have been in shambles.
“The absurdity of Nigerian exporting crude oil earning, foreign exchange, in the process only to import refined petroleum products and in the process spending more foreign exchange than it has earned in the export of crude oil. From this, the obnoxious payment of fuel subsidies in many cases for funding refined petroleum products has been eliminated.
“Consider again that the four refineries in the country could have become non-functional at the same time despite the homogenous amount spent on turnaround maintenance. These absurdities were sustained by the regime of fuel subsidies. As long as this subsidy subsisted, this conundrum was bound to persist and we had to take the hard and inevitable decision of removing this dubious payment of fuel subsidy”.
Michael Aremu Adedotun, the chancellor of the university, in his address, said the establishment of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund was a catalyst to increasing access to university education for all Nigerians, especially for exceptionally brilliant students and those from poor homes who may not have funds to access university education.
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Sunday Elom, the university vice-chancellor, commended the president for his determination to reposition the Nigerian university system through the various policies and programmes of his administration, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, Safe School Initiative and exemption of universities from the Integrated Payroll, Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
