President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s determination to end the cycle of strikes in Nigeria’s public universities, directing government negotiators to secure lasting industrial peace across all tertiary institutions.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday after briefing the President at the State House, Abuja, on the ongoing engagements with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other tertiary institution unions.
Speaking with reporters after the meeting, Alausa said the Federal Government had “literally met” ASUU’s demands and described the union’s recent six-day warning strike as unnecessary. He noted that his visit to the Villa was to “extract more concessions” from the President to further stabilize the university system.
“Mr. President has mandated us that he does not want ASUU to go on strike again, and we are doing everything humanly possible to ensure our students stay in school,” Alausa said. “We have met literally all their requirements. We are back at the negotiation table and in touch with their leadership. This will be resolved.”
The Minister dismissed reports that the government was neglecting other tertiary institution unions or that a four-week ultimatum had been issued by the unions and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
“There is no ultimatum. Everything is calm. This is a listening government,” he stressed, adding that he had spoken with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) earlier in the week.
Alausa revealed that the government had merged multiple negotiation teams into a single panel headed by Alhaji Yayale Ahmed to ensure a coordinated approach in dealing with all tertiary institutions — universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education — covering both academic and non-academic staff.
He listed key issues already addressed, including the payment of arrears and earned academic allowances, as well as the launch of a federal transparency dashboard designed to track the finances and performance of public tertiary institutions.
Reaffirming the administration’s commitment to education and human capital development, Alausa said President Tinubu remains resolute in ensuring uninterrupted academic activities across the country’s public universities.