President Bola Tinubu has directed the Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, to immediately resolve the ongoing dispute between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), to prevent further disruption of academic activities across Nigerian universities.
Alausa disclosed this to State House correspondents after meeting with the President at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday.
According to the minister, President Tinubu emphasized the need for continuous academic stability, adding that the government had met “literally all” of ASUU’s demands and was taking further steps to consolidate negotiations.
“The President has mandated us that he doesn’t want ASUU to go on strike, and we’re doing everything humanly possible to ensure that our students stay in school,” Alausa said. “We’ve met almost all their requirements and are now back at the negotiation table to secure more concessions from the President.”
The minister described the recent six-day warning strike by the union as “unnecessary,” stating that dialogue between the government and ASUU had resumed in a cordial atmosphere.
ASUU had in October embarked on a two-week warning strike, citing the Federal Government’s failure to implement several agreements, including the renegotiated 2009 FG–ASUU deal, payment of salary arrears, adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), and revitalisation of tertiary institutions.
Over the years, frequent ASUU strikes have disrupted academic calendars, delayed graduations, and affected the global competitiveness of Nigerian universities.
Alausa further revealed that the government had restructured the negotiation framework by establishing a single committee chaired by former Head of Service, Yayale Ahmed, to engage all tertiary education unions — including ASUU, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), and the Colleges of Education Staff Union (COEASU).
“What we’ve done now is to expand one single committee to deal with both academic and non-academic unions. There’s no ultimatum from any union; everything is calm, and they understand this is a listening government,” the minister added.
He also announced the introduction of a Federal Tertiary Institution Governance and Transparency Portal, designed to enhance accountability in the education sector by publishing data on enrolment, budgets, intervention funds, and grants for federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
“We are running an evidence-based government. Without accurate data, you’re flying blind,” Alausa stated.
Reacting to reports of a four-week ultimatum allegedly issued by tertiary unions and the Nigeria Labour Congress, the minister dismissed the claims, stressing that communication between the ministry and the unions remained open and constructive.
“There is no ultimatum. I still spoke to the President of ASUP on Monday. Everything is calm, and we are committed to resolving all outstanding issues,” he said.
The Tinubu administration, he added, remains committed to improving funding, infrastructure, and staff welfare in tertiary institutions as part of broader efforts to revitalise the education sector.
