FG reconstitutes the negotiation committee to avert the ASUU strike.
The federal government reorganised and launched a larger negotiation committee led by former Head of Service Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, aimed at expediting discussions with academic and non-academic unions throughout Nigeria’s higher education institutions.
A statement released on Tuesday, October 7, by Boriowo Folasade, the Director of Press and Public Relations in the Ministry of Education, indicated that this newly formed committee, titled the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee, seeks to unify and streamline all ongoing negotiations with unions across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
According to the statement, the Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, remarked during the inauguration on Monday, October 6, that the committee’s creation is part of the initiative to resolve years of scattered and unresolved negotiations that have frequently disrupted academic operations.
He mentioned that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has extended full political support for the committee’s efforts, issuing a directive that “all negotiations should be resolved promptly, justly, and with mutual respect.”
The ICIR reports that the announcement regarding the establishment of the negotiation committee followed closely after the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had begun mobilising its members for a potential strike, given that the first week of its 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government had lapsed.
In a letter dated October 5, 2025, sent to all ASUU branches, the union’s president, Chris Piwuna, stated that the government’s inaction had left the union with no option but to prepare for strike action.
The circular detailed that the National Executive Council (NEC), during an urgent meeting on September 29, 2025, assessed the outcomes of a nationwide referendum and decided to provide the government two weeks to respond to the renegotiated agreement submitted in February 2025.
In his letter, he indicated that despite prior communications with the Minister of Labour, the Minister of Education, and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), no substantial progress had occurred.
“It was further agreed that the union would initiate a two-week warning strike upon the expiration of the ultimatum if the government did not take acceptable and satisfactory measures to resolve the ongoing issues.
The resolutions were promptly communicated to the Honourable Minister of Labour, the Honourable Minister of Education, and the Nigeria Labour Congress,” the letter mentioned.
Nonetheless, Alausa mentioned on Monday that the new committee has been granted a fully outfitted secretariat to assist in its operations, with its first meeting scheduled for Tuesday, October 7.
He also urged all academic and non-academic unions to collaborate with the committee for the benefit of students and national stability.
In addition, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, encouraged committee members to act as unbiased mediators and maintain justice, fairness, and stability in their discussions, highlighting President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to dialogue as a means to avert future industrial actions.
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