The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to preventing further industrial actions by unions in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Dr. Alausa disclosed that President Bola Tinubu has directed his cabinet to ensure that strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other education sector unions are a thing of the past.
He explained that the government intends to achieve this through consistent dialogue, strengthened relationships with union leaders, and by addressing their demands in a timely and constructive manner.
Acknowledging the delays in the payment of staff salaries, the minister apologized to affected unions and assured that the Ministry of Education is actively working with the Ministry of Finance to expedite salary disbursements. He attributed the delay to the process of reconciling payments between two different systems: the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) and the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).
However, he gave the assurance that the government is working toward harmonizing these systems to ensure seamless salary payments across institutions.
Speaking further, Dr. Alausa highlighted the recent launch of the Diaspora Bridge initiative, noting that 150 institutions have already registered. The platform is designed to connect Nigerian professionals abroad with local educational and research institutions for structured collaboration.
“The Diaspora Bridge will operate both online and offline,” he said. “It allows Nigerian experts abroad to contribute to the development of universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and teaching hospitals at home.”
He clarified that while participation is voluntary, the government would cover the transportation and accommodation costs for professionals traveling into the country. The platform is also open to home-based professionals and institutions.
Additionally, the minister revealed that the Ministry of Education is strengthening its data systems to collect accurate information on school enrolments, dropout rates, and other educational indicators at local and state levels. He said the data would help inform policy and interventions where needed.
Dr. Alausa also pledged that over one million out-of-school children would soon be enrolled in classrooms, with proper documentation and tracking of their educational progress.
