President Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) has appealed to the leadership and members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, as well as other unions within and outside the university system, to always give peace a chance and embrace dialogue in resolving all grievances they have with the government.
On Saturday, Buhari spoke at the University of Ilorin’s 36th convocation, which took place against the backdrop of a strike threat issued by various academic unions.
The president, who also serves as the university’s Visitor, advised the unions to recognize that dialogue is always preferable to conflict.
The ASUU had given the Federal Government until November 1st to agree to the demands of the union.
Represented by Professor Ignatius Onimawu of the National University Commission, the President said, “No one gains from a crisis. While government alone cannot solve all challenges facing society, this administration is willing to listen to complaints and alternative points of view to managing a situation.
“The university system cannot withstand any crisis now considering the time it had lost to coronavirus pandemic.
“As I appeal to the leadership and members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, I also call on the leadership and members of other Unions within and outside the university system to always give peace a chance.”
In the national interest, Buhari also challenged the country’s universities to conduct research aimed at finding a cure for the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic.
Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, also spoke and challenged the graduates to take risks by embarking on noble projects that could propel them to prominence.
Ada Peter
