Sokoto state governor, Aminu Tambuwal has advised the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to deploy better ways of engaging governments to press home its demands because strikes were out-fashioned.
He handed the advise when he received the newly elected officials of the Sokoto State University chapter of the union on Thursday.
The governor appealed to the union, to develop other skills of negotiations, other than strikes, geared towards arriving at consensus and common ground between it and governments.
According to him, strikes affect the general economic of well-being of the university, states and the country at large.
He congratulated the out-gone officials for their exemplary leadership and implored their successors to embrace peaceful dialogue, engagement and negotiation between the union, the university management and state government in whatever issue that might come up going forward.
“It is not about confrontation. It is not about fighting. We all have common objectives, which is the improvement of the standard of education at all level in the state,” the governor stressed.
Tambuwal emphasized that since that is the case, both government and ASUU shouldn’t work at cross purposes that would only result in truncation of the development of education.
On the appointments of new Deputy Vice Chancellors (DVCs) in the university, the governor urged the university management and governing board to look inward for the selection, assuring it that the state government will not interfere in the process since the university has competent hands.
Tambuwal announced that the state government would soon identify the site for the construction of a new College of Health Science at the University, which will be funded by Abdulsamad Rabiu Foundation.
He said already state government has commenced the construction of the temporary site of the college.
The governor said by the time his administration completed the new teaching hospital successfully, it would be the biggest and largest medical complex in Nigeria.
In their separate remarks, the immediate past and new chairman of the Sokoto state University chapter of ASUU, Dr Attahiru Sifawa and Dr Saidu Abubakar, respectively said they were at the Government House to express appreciation to the Governor.
They commended him for expanding the university through building of many faculties, construction of the University library, 60 offices complex, other facilities as well as the ongoing new Sokoto state University Teaching Hospital.
The duo also thanked the governor for settling all outstanding staff entitlements while requesting him to address the issue of abandoned staff quarters at the university.
