Minister Alausa retracts, confirms FG’s agreement with ASUU
Dr. Tunji Alausa
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has backtracked on his earlier claim that no binding agreement exists between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
In a statement on Friday, Alausa admitted that the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement remains the only valid and enforceable pact to date.
His clarification comes a day after he dismissed ASUU’s position, insisting no agreement had ever been signed—a claim the union immediately faulted.
The Ministry of Education explained that while efforts to review the 2009 deal began in 2017, producing the draft Nimi Briggs Agreement in May 2021, the draft was never formally executed.
“When the Honourable Minister stated that there had been ‘no new signed agreement’ with ASUU, he was referring specifically to the 2021 draft Nimi Briggs document, which has not been formally executed. The Ministry therefore reaffirms that the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement remains the last formally signed agreement,” the statement noted.
It further assured that the Federal Government remains committed to resolving the lingering dispute with ASUU in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that uninterrupted teaching and research in universities remain a national priority.
