The federal government has urged the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) not to embark on its proposed nationwide strike over the 2009 agreement reportedly unmet by the government.
While briefing the press on Wednesday morning, ahead of its Technical Working Group meeting, Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, said the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration is committed to ensuring that students remain in school.
He said: “Today is the meeting of the Federal Government Technical Working Group, to finalise the component of the condition of service that ASUU has proposed. We are working to finalise our counter-offer to them, and hopefully by the end of today, or later by tomorrow, the Alhaji Yayale Ahmed Federal Government Tertiary Institution Expanded Negotiation Committee will receive that counter-offer to ASUU.
“I believe the Alhaji Yayale Ahmed Committee has reached out to ASUU and the other tertiary institution unions to start giving dates and time when they will meet. The directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to us is that our children must be in school. We should do everything humanly possible to avoid strike, and that’s what we’ve been working behind the scenes on.
“You’ve seen that we’ve not been talking, going to the press to talk about every single thing we’re doing. People at the highest level of government have been working several hours intensively to get a robust but affordable response back to the trade unions.
“These are issues that have predated 10-15 years ago. They’ve not been surmounted, but this President has given us the political will to resolve these issues once and for all. In the past, things were done in silos. There were three different negotiation committees set up, one for universities, one for polytechnics, and one for the Colleges of Education.
“Those committees worked in silos, but that’s not an efficient way to negotiate. A slight delay that we had in putting the expanded committee together, we now have one negotiation committee that will talk with all tertiary institutions.
“That same committee will negotiate with academic and non-academic unions so that they can have a footprint of what their needs are. I can tell you today, I’ve seen all the requests from all these unions, universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. 80% of those requests are about the same.
“The 20% of the requests are based on the career needs of the universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. We understand that. This one committee started working. We inaugurated them on Monday. They had their inaugural meeting yesterday. I made a promise that they will work continuously and expeditiously to get our responses to them and get to a point that we have an agreement that we’ll sign with them.”
He added: “Talk to our unions. Don’t use strike as your first resort. We know you’ll be patient, but these are issues that happened decades ago, two decades ago. We have a president in the person of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that believes fervently and benevolently in education. He’s given us all the political will to resolve this problem once and for all.
“As I’ve said repeatedly, we will resolve it in a holistic, comprehensive manner, in a manner that is mutually respectful to the trade unions, both academic and non-academic, and in an affordable manner, something the government can afford.
“We’re going to resolve all these problems. We’re not going to pay all expected to our lecturers, they deserve to be paid so much. Our academic staffs and non-academic staffs. But then, we can’t give you everything you want at the same time.
“But it’s the gesture, it’s our benevolence, it’s our commitment to at least get substantial benefits, financial reward to you. And this government is doing other things to improve your welfare. At this point, we’ve addressed several of the issues that you brought up.
“The earned academic allowance that was paid, the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu released 50 billion naira. That’s been paid months ago. Even the needs assessment, that teacher institutions have been fighting for, for almost 15 years, the president put 150 billion Naira in this 2025 budget, and he promised us that they will release it in tranches of 50 billion in three tranches. We have the 50 billion now waiting. So this president is meeting all the commitments, all the promises he gave us.
“Your promotion allowance, the issues have been resolved. By next year, in 2026, all allowances will be paid. But we know the final part is the condition of service. We will resolve that as well. So we’re pleading with the unions, both academic and non-academic unions and tertiary institutions to be patient.
“This government, we’re sincere, we’re truthful. We have full, genuine interest to resolve it. We are showing you that over the last 24 months that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has taken over the country.
“So please bear with us and be patient. We need to keep our children in school. This is the commitment that the president made to Nigeria, and he’s mandated us to ensure that that promise is met.
“And that’s why we’re doing everything to work with the union. Please, there’s no need for striking. We’re talking to you. You have people. This technical working group is at the highest level of government. We have the Solicitor General of the Federation there that will sign off on every single agreement that we make.
“This is the first time it’s ever happened. ASUU has negotiated. ASUU, other unions have negotiated with government before the Minister of Justice was ever involved. We’re doing this in a comprehensive, in a holistic manner, with full trust and full intent and commitment to resolve this once and for all.”
SSANU, NASU adamant, gear up for protest
Meanwhile, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) have declared a one-day protest for Thursday over the Federal Government’s failure to meet their demands.
Acting under the Joint Action Committee (JAC), both unions have directed all their branches to hold joint emergency meetings on Wednesday to mobilise members for protest activities, including marches on campuses, placard displays, and press briefings.
In a circular dated October 6 and titled “Commencement of Protest Actions”, signed by NASU General Secretary, Prince Peters Adeyemi, and SSANU National President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, the unions directed full participation by all members.
The memo read in part, “Following the inauguration of the Joint Consultative Committee by the Honourable Minister of Education to look into the demands of JAC of NASU & SSANU, the committee met twice — on Friday, 19th September 2025, and Monday, 6th October 2025 — with little progress, as our demands remain unresolved despite the extension of the ultimatum.
“In light of this development, the National JAC hereby directs branch leadership in universities and inter-university centres nationwide to convene a joint congress on Wednesday, 8th October 2025, to mobilise for a massive and effective one-day protest on Thursday, 9th October 2025.”
It added that all members in both federal and state-owned universities “are expected to strictly comply with this directive,” stressing that unity and adherence were essential for success.
The decision followed a comprehensive review of government actions at JAC’s meeting on October 6, 2025 after several ultimatums had expired without resolution.
Among the contentious issues are the alleged inequitable disbursement of the N50bn earned allowances; delays in renegotiating the 2009 FGN/NASU/SSANU agreements; non-payment of two months’ outstanding salaries; arrears of 25 and 35 per cent salary increments; and non-remittance of third-party deductions for May and June 2022.
JAC had earlier issued a seven-day ultimatum to the government on September 15, later extending it by another 14 days — which expired on Monday, October 6.
