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Minister of State for Education, Tunji Alausa, says the Federal Government has met all the demands made by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Speaking during an interview on Channels TV, Alausa reacted to the union’s decision to begin a two-week warning strike starting October 13. He said ASUU should immediately suspend the strike and return to the negotiation table, insisting that all its concerns had been addressed.
“I do not see reasons why they have gone on this strike,” the minister said. “I can tell you today that all demands of ASUU have been met.”
Alausa explained that the union appeared determined to proceed with the strike despite ongoing government efforts to meet its demands.
“For the arrears of their earned academic allowance, we have paid N50 billion,” he said. “We have addressed the issue of postgraduate supervision allowances, which are to be paid by the institutions, and I have been told that they are being paid.”
He added that out of the N150 billion allocated for the NEEDS Assessment fund in the 2025 budget, N50 billion has already been released, while the remainder will be disbursed in tranches.
“The promotion arrears, we have told them that this will be paid with the 2026 appropriation budget,” he said. “The 25/35 wage award, I have had multiple meetings with them where I told them that all public servants have not been paid, but this will be paid in 2026.”
According to the minister, the government’s negotiation committee presented ASUU with a counter-proposal on October 10 regarding conditions of service and workers’ welfare, but the union failed to respond before announcing its strike.
Alausa also clarified why the government could not meet ASUU during its three-week ultimatum, citing the absence of the negotiation committee chairman, Ali Ahmed.
“They gave us three weeks and I told him (referring to the ASUU president) that Ali Ahmed, who agreed to chair this negotiation committee, had requested that he was going for Hajj,” he said. “I told Ali to call the ASUU president and inform him. Ali was on lesser Hajj for two and a half weeks, and he had some family issues to deal with in Egypt.”
On the issue of unpaid salaries from the 2022 strike, Alausa said the three months’ arrears would not be paid, as President Bola Tinubu had already fulfilled his earlier commitment.
“When they went on strike in 2022, President Tinubu, who was then an aspirant, asked the then speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, to meet with the union to call off that eight-month strike,” he said. “They met and it was decided that 50 per cent of the eight-month strike would be paid. Immediately Tinubu took over, he paid because he had only promised to pay that.”
The minister added that issues surrounding third-party deductions and remittances to the union have been resolved, noting that such matters are now being handled at the university level.
Alausa assured Nigerian parents that the government is committed to ensuring that universities remain open.
“Let me assure the parents of the students that we are doing everything humanly possible to keep your children in school,” he said. “In the last two and a half years, there has been no strike, and this is due to our active and proactive engagement with the union.”
