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President Bola Tinubu has directed the Minister of Education, Mr. Olatunji Alausa, to move quickly and resolve the lingering industrial dispute with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, saying he does not want another strike to disrupt academic activities across Nigerian universities.
Speaking to State House correspondents after meeting the President at the Aso Rock Villa on Tuesday, Alausa said the government had already met “literally all” of ASUU’s demands and is now working to extract further concessions from the President.
“The President has mandated us that he doesn’t want ASUU to go on strike, and we’re doing everything humanly possible to ensure that our students stay in school. The last strike they went on for about six days was not really needed.
“We’ve met literally all their requirements. Now we’ve gone back to the negotiation table. Part of my visit here today is to also explain where we are with the ASUU strike to Mr. President and to extract more concessions from him,” the minister said.
He described the most recent six-day warning strike as “not really needed,” noting that his visit to the President was both to explain progress and to secure more executive backing for education and human capital.
“The last strike they went on for about six days was not really needed. We’re talking to them…Now we’ve gone back to the negotiation table. We’re talking as he spoke to the leadership this morning. We will resolve this.
“And part of my visit today here is to also explain where we are with the ASUU strike to Mr. President and to extract more concessions from Mr. President,” he stated.
ASUU, Nigeria’s principal university lecturers’ union, has long taken the Federal Government to task over funding shortfalls, salary arrears, the renegotiated 2009 FG–ASUU agreement, the rollout of University Transparency and Accountability Solution in place of IPPIS, and the dilapidated state of tertiary infrastructure.
Over the years, strikes by the union have disrupted academic calendars, delayed graduations and diminished the global competitiveness of Nigerian universities.
In October, ASUU launched a two-week warning strike after citing the government’s failure to honour its demands, including the conclusion of the renegotiated agreement, payment of arrears, and revitalisation of universities.
According to the Education Minister, the Tinubu administration has consolidated negotiations by creating a single committee, under the leadership of Yayale Ahmed, to deal with all tertiary-staff unions, including ASUU, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, and the Colleges of Education Staff Union. This replaces the previous arrangement in which each union had its own committee, he noted.
“What we’ve done now is to expand one single committee. They’re dealing with both academic and non-academic unions…There is no ultimatum. Everything is calm, and they understand this is a listening government,” said Alausa.
The minister also pointed to a new Federal Tertiary Institution Governance and Transparency Portal, which publishes data on enrolment, budget allocations (personnel, capital, recurrent), intervention funds, endowments and grants.
He said the portal currently covers federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education and will extend to state and private institutions.
“We are running an evidence-based government…If you don’t have data, it’s like you’re flying blind,” he added.
Asked about the four-week ultimatum by the joint unions in tertiary institutions and the Nigeria Labour Congress, on October 20, 2025, for the government to resolve the tertiary education crisis, the Minister said there was no such ultimatum.
He said, “And with all due respect, there is no ultimatum. I still spoke to the President of ASUP on Monday.
“I’m on first line call to them. Everything is calm, and they all understand this is a listening government.
“We would resolve all their problems, resolve a significant part of their problems
