Education: DG MINILS Hails President Buhari’s Pledge to Improve Sustainable Budget

The Director General of  Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Ilorin, North Central Nigeria, Comrade Issa Aremu has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for being signatory to the new global push for countries including Nigeria to increase national education budget by 50 per cent over the next two years and up to 100% by 2025. 

President Buhari at the recently concluded Global Education Summit in London, United Kingdom had joined other African leaders  to brainstorm on how to transform the education system through progressive increase in annual domestic education expenditure.

Comrade Aremu spoke at the week end during a  courtesy call of the members of Governing Council of the Institute on the leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) as part of the efforts to reposition the Institute for improved labour education for Nigerian workers.

The 8- person member of the Governing Council led by its chairman, veteran labour leader,  Chief Comrade Frank Kokori was also hosted by the TUC leadership led by the President Quadri Olaleye.

The Director General observed that education being  pivotal to poverty eradication and building of an inclusive sustainable economy deserved adequate sustainable government funding.

He said funding education should be inclusive of research and education institutes established to build necessary  capacity for the country’s workforce in the areas of workplace conflict resolutions and productivity improvement.

Comrade Aremu disclosed that the Institute was set to realize its  objective  as the foremost training Institution on labour and industrial relations issue and regional centre of excellence in labour studies in West Africa, adding however that  it was imperative that the funding of the Institute was improved for effective educational service delivery.

He blamed recurring labour disputes  in all sectors of the economy on what he called “knowledge gap” on critical labour market issues among employers and employees. He said   labour education must be seen “as a strategic success factor for motivation, improved productivity and national development”.

NLC President, Ayuba Wabba while making a welcome remark, said there was urgent need to resuscitate the labour Institute going by emerging trends in labour struggles globally.

He commended the new management of the Institute for the new open door policy  for partnership, a development he said that would help build capacity for labour leaders. He suggested areas of possible partnership with the Institute to include broadening  social economic research and documentation, appraisal of contemporary challenges facing unionism and bridging the  skill gaps for youth employability.

MINILS was commissioned in 1983 by late President Shehu Shagari to contribute meaningfully to national development through regular capacity building training for the country’s workforce, organized trade unions, organized employers of labour  and government officials on critical labour market issues.

The objective is to promote labour-management relations, best practices and industrial harmony for sustainable economic development through informed education about complex labour market issues. Since its establishment, (MINILS) has trained a number of workers and employers from both public and private sectors. The training with certification had helped in providing a conducive and harmonious environment to implement successful governments’  developmental agenda over the years.

Meanwhile,  in a related development both the  managements of Micheal Imoudu National Institute for labour studies, (MINILS) Ilorin and National Institute for Security Studies ( NISS)  Bwari Abuja had reached an understanding to deepen partnership in areas of curriculum development, exchange of policy ideas and resource fellows to enhance service delivery of the two agencies.

Speaking at the opening of 78th meeting of the Governing Council of MINILS in Bwari Abuja last Wednesday  both the commandant of the NISS, Mr Saheed Adeleke and Comrade Issa Aremu the Director General of MINILS  agreed to periodic peer review of activities to share experiences in institution building.

Nnenna.O