By Damilola Kushimo
To many who remain in denial of President Bola Tinubu’s high-flying performance, the recent ASUU strike scare became an opportunity to unduly criticize the present federal government.
It was, however, interesting to see how the hastily conceived threat of industrial action by ASUU was swiftly addressed by the federal government even before it began, lending further credence to the President’s commitment to enhancing quality education and aligning the system with international best practices.
Contrary to widespread reports in the conventional media, with a few exceptions, the ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, merely directed union chapters to down tools in protest against delayed salary payment for the union’s members previous month.
Yes, June salary, not a backlog of salaries or entitlements, but last month’s payment. While ASUU claimed that such delays have been recurring, this writer’s findings indicate that the issue stems from the transition in payment platforms.
Academic staff were recently moved from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
While their protest, even though hasty, might be understandable, it’s widely believed that the university workers should have exercised more patience.
Good a thing, the imminent industrial action was quickly nipped in the bud before it began, as the delayed salaries were promptly disbursed, and calm restored across the universities.
From the foregoing, it is safe to say that ASUU has not embarked on any of its typical strikes since President Tinubu assumed office, yet another testament to the importance this administration places on education.
The many strides of this government in the education sector are evident and speak for themselves including the student loan scheme, over 100% increase in corps members’ allowance, the creation of eight new federal universities, constant stakeholder engagement, the allocation of a record ₦3.52 trillion to the education sector in the 2025 budget, and the launch of initiatives such as the National Education Data Repository; others include Out-of-School Children Education Programme, Teacher Training and Development, Skill Acquisition initiatives, and DOTS with many more in the offing.
My prayer remains that Almighty God continues to grant the President success in his quest to make Nigeria a better country; a country we can all be proud of.
•Kushimo is a mass communicator with special interests in humanitarian issues.
