Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, says the Federal Government has fulfilled all commitments to ASUU, including ₦50bn in earned allowances and ₦150bn for needs assessment, insisting there’s no reason for another strike
FG to ASUU: ‘We’ve Met All Your Demands, No Justification for Strike — Education Minister’
Abuja, Nigeria — The Federal Government has declared that it has met every demand presented by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), insisting there is no justifiable reason for the union’s latest strike action.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made this known on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, where he appealed to the union to return to classrooms.
“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 said. “We need to keep our children in school. If there is any group of people that I have met with the most since I assumed this position, it is ASUU.”
According to the minister, claims that the government had been slow or unwilling to respond to ASUU’s demands were “entirely incorrect.”
He explained that the government had already cleared ₦50 billion in arrears of earned academic allowances, which President Bola Tinubu approved months ago.
“The earned academic arrears have now been mainstreamed as part of their salaries. There will never be arrears again,” Alausa added.
The minister also addressed other key issues, including postgraduate supervision allowances, which he said are being paid by universities, and the needs assessment funds that had long been pending.
“The President approved ₦150 billion of his assessment money in this 2026 budget; ₦50 billion of that has been released. The President promised to release this in tranches of ₦50 billion over three payments. The first one has been released and is sitting in the needs assessment account now,” he explained.
Alausa emphasized that the Tinubu administration remains committed to fair engagement with all labour unions, particularly those in the education sector.
“President Tinubu has demonstrated his commitment to ensuring our universities are properly funded and our lecturers are treated with dignity,” he said.
He further disclosed that the promotion arrears of lecturers will be cleared under the 2026 appropriation budget, assuring that the process to prevent future accumulation of arrears has been finalized.
Despite these assurances, ASUU on Sunday announced a two-week total and comprehensive warning strike across all public universities in Nigeria.
The Union’s National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, made the announcement during a press conference at the University of Abuja, citing the government’s failure to meet its commitments before the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued on September 28, 2025.
“There has been no meaningful progress to prevent us from moving forward with our planned industrial action,” Piwuna said, directing all ASUU branches to commence a full withdrawal of services from midnight on Monday, October 13, 2025.
However, the Federal Government has maintained its position, urging the union to reconsider its stance and allow students to continue their studies without disruption.
“This administration has done everything possible to meet ASUU’s needs. It is time to prioritize the future of our children,” Alausa appealed. Read More
