The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Thursday faulted claims by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, that the Federal Government never signed any binding agreement with the union. Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, Alausa maintained that the documents often cited by ASUU were only proposals presented during negotiations and not executed agreements.
“The 2021 agreement was not executed by the government. ASUU might have the impression that they have an agreement with government, but there was no signed agreement. What we are working on now is a clean, actionable, and sustainable document that can be implemented within the framework of our constitution,” he said.
The minister added that President Bola Tinubu’s administration was committed to resolving long-standing disputes with the union, citing the release of ₦50 billion earlier in the year to settle earned academic allowances.
He explained that a high-level technical team—comprising representatives from the Ministries of Education, Labour, Justice, the Budget Office, the National Universities Commission, and the Salary and Wages Commission—had been set up to harmonize government proposals before they are forwarded to the Yayale Ahmed Committee for presentation to ASUU.
However, ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, dismissed Alausa’s assertion, insisting that previous negotiations produced agreements which government had failed to honour.
“The government is very poor at keeping records. Sometimes, you wonder if there is a proper handover from one officer to another,” Piwuna said.
The disagreement underscores ongoing tensions between the government and the academic union, which continues to demand improved salaries, better conditions of service, increased university funding, autonomy, and a review of laws governing tertiary education.
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