The Director-General of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Issa Aremu, has praised President Bola Tinubu for what he described as an unprecedented commitment to revitalising Nigeria’s education sector through significantly increased funding and targeted reforms.

Speaking on Thursday in Ilorin during the third matriculation ceremony of 19 students admitted into the Bachelor’s Degree programme in Employment Relations and Human Resources Management, Aremu commended the administration of Bola Tinubu for what he described as a historic boost in education funding under the Renewed Hope agenda.

He mentioned key interventions, including the student loan scheme managed by Nigerian Education Loan Fund, which he said has already benefited more than 900,000 students nationwide.

Aremu stressed that the success of the record allocation depends on timely disbursement of funds allocated to the sector.

He specifically tasked the Minister of State for Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, to ensure that approved funds are released without delay, noting that past administrations were hindered by poor budget implementation.

He added that Oyedele, a former chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, bears the critical responsibility of bridging the gap between budgetary promises and actual delivery in the education sector.

According to him, the matriculation marked “a significant milestone in the academic journey of our newly admitted students and a defining moment in the continued growth of this great Institute noting that Matriculation symbolizes students acceptance into a system built on discipline, excellence, integrity, and the pursuit of knowledge.”

The Director General observed that the National Institute for Labour Studies established in 1983 with the unique mandate for workers’ education has trained hundreds of thousands of Nigerian Workers, evolving to be a globally renowned centre of excellence in labour education.

“In 2013, MINILS pioneered the National Diploma in Industrial and Labour Relations as part of its strategic effort to diversify and expand labour education services to our social partners. This initiative laid a strong foundation for professional training in labour relations within Nigeria.

Building on this success, the Institute further expanded its academic portfolio in 2019 with the commencement of the Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management, in affiliation with the prestigious University of Ilorin. This milestone represented a significant leap forward, further strengthening the position of the Institute among its peers and for better delivery of labour education service suitable for the new world of work order.

Aremu further disclosed that in line with the commitment to align with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of renewed hope for Nigerians with respect to human capital formation MINILS commenced the Postgraduate Diploma in Career Guidance and Counseling with the specific goal of strengthening labour market efficiency and curtailing unemployment in Nigeria.

He charged the matriculating students to justify the confidence reposed in them “by demonstrating excellence in both character and learning”.

The matriculation was witnessed by the Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Professor Wahab Egbewole, the Director, Centre for Affiliated Institutions, University of Ilorin, The Director, JAMB, Ilorin Office, The Director of Labour, FMLE, Kwara State Office, The Chairman, TUC, The Chairman, NLC, The Women Leader, TUC Women Commission.