President Muhammadu Buhari, has appealed to the leadership and members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and other unions within and outside the university system to always embrace dialogue in resolving all complaints they have with the government.

Buhari who is the Visitor to the institution, spoke during 36th convocation of the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, weekend, against the backdrop of a strike threat earlier given by various unions in academic institutions across the country.

A total of 180 out of 10,922 students graduated with first class degrees from the school in the 2019/2020 academic session.

The president asked the unions to realise that dialogue was always better than conflict.

ASUU had given the Federal Government a November 1st ultimatum to accede to its demands.

Buhari was represented on the occasion by Professor Ignatius Onimawu of the National University Commission, NUC.

His words, “No one gains from crisis. While government alone cannot solve all challenges facing society, this administration is willing to listen to complaints and alternative points of view to managing a situation.

“The university system cannot withstand any crisis now considering the time it had lost to coronavirus pandemic.

“As I appeal to the leadership and members of the ASUU, I also call on the leadership and members of other unions within and outside the university system to always give peace a chance.”

President Buhari further challenged the nation’s universities to conduct researches targeted at discovering the antidote to the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic in the interest of the nation.

Earlier in his speech, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem, had challenged the graduates to dare the odds by venturing into noble projects that could catapult them into prominence.

Physical attendance at the main convocation was restricted to only graduates with first class degrees, prize winners and doctoral awardees.