The Federal Government has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities to suspend its planned industrial action, assuring that all outstanding grievances will be addressed.
Minister of Education Tunji Alausa made the appeal on Wednesday during a press briefing, stating that President Bola Tinubu has demonstrated the political will to meet the union’s demands.
Alausa revealed that the President has directed that all necessary measures be implemented to ensure students of universities and other public tertiary institutions remain in school with their campuses open for academic activities.
The Minister argued that there is no justification for the proposed strike, as the union’s grievances are already receiving government attention.
Alausa disclosed that by Thursday, the Yayale Ahmed-led Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiating Committee would meet with ASUU leadership to present the government’s offer. He added that the committee has contacted ASUU and other tertiary institution unions to schedule meetings.
“The directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to us is that our children must be in school; that we should do everything humanly possible to avert a strike. That’s why what we’ve been working behind the scenes to ensure a holistic resolution of the issues. We’ve not been talking about everything we’re doing,” Alausa stated.
He revealed that high-level government officials have been working intensively for several hours to develop a comprehensive yet affordable response to the trade unions’ demands, noting that many of the issues date back 10 to 15 years.
“These are issues that predate 10-15 years ago. They’ve not been surmounted, but this President has given us the political will to resolve these issues once and for all,” the Minister said.
Alausa explained that previous attempts to address the issues were inefficient because they were handled in silos, with three separate negotiating committees established for universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, each working independently.
He announced that the new approach features one Expanded Negotiating Committee that will engage with all tertiary institutions and negotiate with both academic and non-academic staff unions to gain a comprehensive understanding of their needs.
“I have seen all the requests from all these unions at the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education; 80% of those requests are about the same, while the 20% of the requests are based on particular needs of the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education,” Alausa revealed.
The Minister disclosed that the expanded negotiation committee was inaugurated on Monday and held its inaugural meeting on Tuesday.
He appealed for patience from ASUU, assuring that the government is committed to resolving all issues in a holistic and comprehensive manner that respects the unions while remaining financially sustainable for the government.
Alausa noted that the government has already begun implementing some of the lecturers’ and staff unions’ demands. He cited the release of ₦50 billion Earned Academic Allowance several months ago by the Tinubu administration as evidence of the government’s commitment.
Additionally, he revealed that ₦150 billion was allocated in the 2025 budget as a revitalization fund for tertiary institutions, while issues concerning promotion arrears would be addressed in the 2026 budget.
The Minister’s appeal comes amid growing tension between the government and ASUU over longstanding issues including funding, allowances, and working conditions in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
