President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has issued a fresh directive to the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, to resolve the long-standing demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and deliver a lasting solution to the recurring industrial disputes in Nigeria’s universities.
Speaking after unveiling Yobe State’s 17-year-old Nafisa Abdullah Aminu, who won the global English Language Skills competition in London, Dr. Alausa revealed that the President was determined to close the chapter of endless back-and-forth between government and the lecturers’ union.
According to reports by Acada Extra, the Minister dismissed claims of any scheduled meeting with ASUU leaders, explaining that government officials were currently reviewing the union’s proposals to draft a solid and implementable counter-offer. He stressed that Tinubu’s instruction is clear: the Federal Government must not sign agreements it cannot fulfil.
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, also confirmed that the union had not received any official invitation for dialogue. The latest move, however, signals government’s readiness to push for a final resolution after years of broken negotiations dating back to the 2009 FGN–ASUU agreement.
To fast-track progress, Alausa disclosed that a seven-man technical committee, chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Education Ministry and including representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Labour, TETFund, NUC and the Budget Office, has been set up to fine-tune government’s position before presenting it to the renegotiation panel led by Yayale Ahmed.
The Minister stressed that Tinubu’s administration would not repeat past mistakes of entering “bogus agreements” that crippled the sector. He assured Nigerians that every clause of the new pact would be practical, fundable and sustainable, adding that the President is a man who keeps his promises.
On concerns of fresh strike action, Alausa noted that while ASUU has the constitutional right to protest, there was no indication of an imminent shutdown of universities, as consultations remain ongoing. He urged students, parents and stakeholders to remain calm, insisting that the government’s priority is to keep schools open and restore stability to higher education.