Vice-Chancellor, Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, Professor Ganiu Olatunde, has urged the Federal Government to dialogue with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to avert industrial action that could lead to a break in academic calendar.
Olatunde said this while speaking with newsmen on the sideline of a reception organised by Senator Adegbenga Kaka, in honour of Professor Abdul-Azeez Balogun, a professor emeritus of Islamic Studies of the state owned institution.
The VC insisted that students could not afford to experience another strike that would disrupt their programmes following the nine months strike embarked upon by the union in 2020.
The don who accused the government of nonchalant attitude to the funding of tertiary education in the country advised the government to honour the agreements reached in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and signed with the union.
Olatunde said: “The Federal Government should meet with the leadership of the union in order to resolve every outstanding issue. Once that is done, I’m sure that we won’t have a break in the academic calendar in this country again.
“We should not wait until we have a crisis on our hands before we engage in dialogue.”
Senator Kaka, in his remarks, described Professor Balogun as a “pious human being whose life is worthy of emulation by all and sundry.”
He stated that Nigeria’s education sector needs more of Baloguns to turn the fortunes of the sector around for good.
“Professor Balogun is a paragon of simplicity, a very pious human being, righteous in the true sense of it and a great mentor to a lot of people,” Kaka said.
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