By Mahdi Waziri Isa
The Federal Government has outlined a comprehensive strategy to address persistent industrial actions in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, with Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa emphasizing President Bola Tinubu’s directive to prevent future strikes through proactive engagement with academic unions.
During a recent television interview, Alausa detailed the administration’s commitment to resolving issues through continuous dialogue with union leadership and timely fulfillment of agreements.
The minister acknowledged current challenges in salary payments, attributing delays to the parallel operation of IPPIS and UTAS platforms, but assured stakeholders that harmonization efforts are progressing.
The newly launched Diaspora Bridge program has seen significant uptake, with 150 institutions already registered. This innovative platform facilitates knowledge exchange between Nigerian professionals abroad and domestic educational institutions, with the government covering logistical expenses for participating diaspora experts while maintaining accessibility for all qualified professionals.
Concurrent with labor resolution efforts, the ministry is implementing systemic reforms including enhanced data collection mechanisms to track enrollment and dropout rates, targeted interventions to reintegrate over one million out-of-school children and comprehensive monitoring systems for education quality nationwide.
Education Minister Alausa emphasized, these measures demonstrate the government’s commitment to both immediate resolutions and sustainable sectoral transformation.