UNILAG VC pleads with FG to negotiate with striking unions

Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, the Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, has appealed to the Federal Government to dialogue with the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities toward resolving issues peacefully.
Ogundipe made the appeal during a courtesy visit to the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Abuja.
The VC lamented that the union’s industrial action was affecting universities’ programmes across the country.
He said: “I want to appeal to the Federal Government to negotiate with them because the strike is affecting the academic calendar.
“My university got the least of the allocation of N23 million to the non-teaching staff, while the University of Ibadan got N105 million.
“There is no basis for the discrepancies in the allocation of funds and this is putting more pressure on me.
“I have to be begging and talking to the non-teaching staff to take it easy and call off the strike.
“Federal Government should please continue to dialogue with them and resolve this problem.’’
The V-C expressed gratitude to NAN for publicising activities of the institution.
He also called on the Unilag alumni in Abuja to rally support for the development of the university.
Ogundipe said: “For any university to succeed and be prominent, it must carry its alumni along.
“The university is planning to improve on its brand of services through research, innovation, incubation, entrepreneurship and community service among others.’’
According to him, this is aimed at reaching out to its host communities as a way of giving back to the society and contributing to the development of the country.
Responding, the Managing Director of NAN, Bayo Onanuga, pledged the agency’s continued support to the university’s activities.
Onanuga said that the agency was out to serve, not just the university but the country.
NAN