FG Moves to Avert Fresh Strike by University Lecturers

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ensuring that academic activities in Nigeria’s public universities are no longer interrupted by strike.

Consequently, he has instructed government negotiators to work towards achieving lasting industrial harmony in all public higher institutions.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, communicated the President’s stance yesterday after updating Tinubu at the State House in Abuja about ongoing discussions with the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) and other unions in tertiary institutions.

After the meeting, Alausa told reporters that the federal government had practically addressed ASUU’s demands and deemed the union’s recent six-day warning strike as unwarranted.

He mentioned that his purpose for visiting the State House was to negotiate further concessions from the President to enhance stability in the university system.

According to him: “The President has instructed us that he does not want ASUU to strike again, and we are making every possible effort to keep our students in school. We have essentially met all their needs. We are back at the negotiation table and maintaining communication with their leadership. This issue will be resolved.”

The Minister challenged assertions that the government was overlooking other unions in tertiary institutions or that a four-week ultimatum had been issued by the unions and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

“There is no ultimatum. Everything is stable. This is a responsive government,” he asserted, adding that he had spoken to the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) on Monday.

Alausa pointed out that the government has consolidated multiple negotiating teams into a single committee headed by Alhaji Yayale Ahmed to ensure a synchronized approach across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, involving both academic and non-academic staff.

He also outlined the key issues that have been addressed, such as the payment of arrears and earned academic allowances, while emphasizing the introduction of a federal transparency dashboard to monitor financial and performance metrics of tertiary institutions.

The Minister emphasized that Tinubu remains “strongly devoted” to education and the development of human capital, noting that the administration will persist in making concessions to guarantee uninterrupted education in Nigeria’s public universities.