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The federal government has finally signed a renegotiated agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to address the incessant strikes in Nigeria’s public tertiary schools.
The agreement was unveiled at a ceremony held at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) headquarters in Abuja.
The meeting was preceded over by Tunji Alausa, minister of education, and Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, minister of state for education.
The new agreement is as a result of renegotiation between a federal government committee and ASUU concluded in 2025.
The agreement effectively ends a 16-year implementation stalemate surrounding the contentious 2009 FG-ASUU pact on the service conditions of public tertiary school lecturers.
Speaking at the unveiling, Chris Piwuna, ASUU president, said the union is hopeful that the federal government will stick to its decision and be different this time.
He said he hopes that union do not need any strike action before the government implements the new agreement.
“We are optimistic that the government will implement this agreement in totality, but pessimism still exists because of our history,” Piwuna said.
“It is our belief that Dr. Tunji Alausa will be different, and that our union will not need to issue a strike threat before any part of this agreement is implemented. As you always say, you are open and accessible; ASUU is also open and accessible.”
On his part, Alausa described the renegotiated agreement as a “decisive turning point” in the history of Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
Alausa also commended President Bola Tinubu for his “commitment to quality education and an uninterrupted academic calendar” for students in tertiary institutions across the country.
“This occasion represents far more than the presentation of a document; it symbolises renewed trust, restored confidence, and a decisive turning point in the history of Nigeria’s tertiary education system,” he said.
Over the years, Nigeria’s public university system has been tainted with strikes by ASUU over issues ranging from funding and infrastructure to the welfare of academic staff and the preferred payment platform for lecturers.
An agreement was signed between ASUU and the government in 2009 following negotiations aimed at reversing the decay in the Nigeria’s public university system.
However, full implementation of the agreement was stalled by the government over financial constraints and disagreements on university autonomy.
The agreement required renegotiation after its original 2009 provisions became obsolete due to inflation and the emergence of new disputes, among other reasons.
