The Presidency has defended President Bola Tinubu’s administration over its record on industrial actions in Nigeria’s education sector, insisting that preventing prolonged academic strikes is a significant achievement that should not be taken for granted.
Presidential aide on social media, Dada Olusegun, made the remarks in response to an X user, @mayyor_, who questioned the government’s decision to list the absence of academic strikes as one of its major achievements.
The X user had written: “Imagine counting ‘No academic strike’ as a major achievement in Tinubu government kai 😭.”
Reacting, Olusegun criticised the comment, suggesting that the user had never experienced the disruption caused by prolonged industrial actions by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
“Obviously, a comment from a newbie who never experienced the dark days of ASUU strike,” the presidential aide wrote.
Olusegun accused the critic of deliberately downplaying the administration’s efforts to address a longstanding problem that has repeatedly disrupted Nigeria’s university system.
He argued that maintaining uninterrupted academic activities deserves recognition, particularly given the years students spent at home during prolonged disputes between university lecturers and the Federal Government.
“This is simply an attempt to deliberately divert attention from, and denigrate the government’s efforts to change a norm that has held our education system back for years,” he stated.
The presidential aide added that anyone genuinely concerned about the development of education in Nigeria should appreciate efforts to prevent disruptions to academic activities.
“Anyone who genuinely cares about education wouldn’t take this for granted. Keeping students in school, protecting academic calendars and ensuring uninterrupted learning should be celebrated, not mocked,” Olusegun added.
He also suggested that younger Nigerians who had not experienced prolonged university shutdowns under previous administrations might not fully understand the importance of maintaining stable academic calendars.
“It appears we have normalised strikes so much that ending them now sounds like a joke to new generations who never witnessed it, all thanks to the deliberate effort of our President @officialABAT,” he wrote.
History of ASUU Strikes in Nigeria
Nigeria’s university system has experienced several prolonged ASUU strikes over the years, disrupting academic calendars and delaying students’ graduation.
One of the most notable industrial actions occurred in 2022, when ASUU embarked on an approximately eight-month strike over disagreements with the Federal Government concerning funding, university revitalisation, lecturers’ welfare and the implementation of previous agreements.
The industrial action forced students in public universities across the country to remain at home for months, further highlighting the impact of recurring disputes on higher education.
Since Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, his administration has pointed to the absence of prolonged nationwide ASUU strikes as evidence of improved industrial relations in the education sector.
However, the relative stability has not eliminated concerns among university lecturers. Issues surrounding the implementation of agreements, outstanding entitlements and staff welfare have continued to feature in discussions between university unions and the Federal Government.
While the Presidency considers the prevention of prolonged nationwide strikes an achievement, questions remain about whether the current stability can be sustained through lasting solutions to the challenges facing Nigeria’s university system.