President Bola Tinubu has declared that education remains central to his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, reaffirming commitment to ensuring a stable academic calendar, improved staff welfare and uninterrupted power supply across Nigerian universities.
President Tinubu stated this on Saturday at the 45th convocation ceremony of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, announcing the introduction of a Staff Loan Scheme for all workers in tertiary institutions, with a total sum of ₦40 billion for the current year, for individual loan amounts ranging from ₦1m to ₦10m.
Congratulating the university community, the president, represented by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, described the convocation as a testament to the institution’s persistent commitment to rigorous academic pursuits, lauding the management for sustaining excellence in teaching, research and community service.
He however urged the institution to remain aligned with the Federal Government’s Federal Tertiary Institutions Governance and Transparency Programme, which he said was designed to promote accountability, transparency and data-driven governance in tertiary education.
The Nigerian leader stressed that the growth of academic institutions depended largely on a stable academic calendar, assuring Nigerians that his administration was determined to avoid disruptions in the education sector.
“I reaffirm this Administration’s commitment to keeping our educational institutions open in accordance with their approved academic calendars and to avoiding disruptions in the nation’s educational system,” he said.
He disclosed that the Federal Government had adopted a unified negotiation framework through the Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee to enhance efficiency in engagements with university-based unions.
The President commended the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed led committee, for facilitating the agreement reached with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, appealing to other unions to remain patient, as comprehensive agreements would be concluded with them in due course.
On staff welfare, President Tinubu explained that the Staff Loan Scheme was designed to support workers across tertiary institutions and enable them to focus on quality teaching, research and service delivery.
According to him, the Federal Ministry of Education had partnered with the Bank of Industry to provide zero-interest loans to eligible staff, with the Federal Government bearing the full cost of the interest.
The President also commended the ABU management for reducing electricity costs through effective energy conservation and urged the institution to develop a comprehensive energy policy to ensure sustainable power management.
