Education minister urges lecturers to return to classrooms
The Federal Government has stated that it has fulfilled all the conditions laid out by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and therefore sees no valid reason for the union’s ongoing strike action. This was revealed by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday.
According to Dr. Alausa, the government has taken decisive actions to meet the union’s long-standing demands, especially those involving financial obligations and structural reforms in tertiary education.
“We have addressed every single request by ASUU; there is no need for this strike, and we are pleading with them to go back to school,” Alausa stated.
He emphasized the importance of keeping Nigerian students in school and appealed for ASUU to prioritize academic stability over industrial action.
FG highlights steps taken to resolve disputes
Dr. Alausa dismissed accusations that the Federal Government has been slow or unresponsive to ASUU’s demands. He outlined several key interventions and financial commitments made by the government to resolve ongoing issues.
One of the major issues was the arrears of earned academic allowances. The minister confirmed that ₦50 billion has already been paid to lecturers.
“The arrears of their earned academic allowance—we’ve paid ₦50 billion. The President swiftly approved that payment months ago,” he said.
He explained that the problem initially arose because ASUU had resisted integrating the allowances into their regular salaries, preferring separate payments. After further dialogue, the allowances have now been mainstreamed, effectively preventing future arrears.
Postgraduate and promotion-related concerns addressed
Beyond earned allowances, the government has also tackled issues related to postgraduate supervision allowances and promotion arrears. Dr. Alausa noted that postgraduate supervision stipends are the responsibility of universities and confirmed that institutions have begun disbursement.
Regarding promotion arrears, he explained that they will be included in the 2026 budget.
“The promotion arrears will be paid with the 2026 budget, which will be appropriated as part of the 2026 appropriation budget, but what was causing the arrears, we’ve resolved that,” he added.
Needs assessment funds already disbursed
Another major sticking point has been the release of needs assessment funds—capital funds intended to upgrade infrastructure in public universities. The minister stated that although this agreement dates back nearly two decades, the Tinubu administration has taken significant steps to meet those obligations.
“The President approved ₦150 billion of this assessment money in the 2026 budget; ₦50 billion of that has been released. It is currently sitting in the needs assessment account,” he revealed.
Alausa also implied that ASUU itself is slowing down disbursement at the institutional level, suggesting that the union’s own internal processes might be holding back progress.
ASUU begins two-week nationwide strike
Despite the government’s assurances, ASUU commenced a two-week comprehensive warning strike across all federal and state universities on Sunday, October 12, 2025. The union’s National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, announced the strike after the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued on September 28, 2025.
ASUU has insisted that key demands remain unresolved, including withheld salaries, revitalization funds, and issues related to university autonomy and governance. The union says the strike is necessary to compel the government to take more concrete action.
Outlook remains uncertain as both sides hold firm
While the Federal Government maintains that it has fulfilled its part of the agreement, ASUU’s leadership argues that the promises have either not been implemented in full or are delayed beyond acceptable limits.
As the strike continues, students across Nigeria’s public universities remain at home, caught in the middle of a long-standing dispute that has plagued the country’s tertiary education system for decades.
