The Federal Government of Nigeria has entered the final phase of negotiations with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other tertiary education unions to prevent another round of strikes. This was disclosed by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, during a meeting of the Technical Working Group on Conditions of Service of ASUU.
The government’s negotiation efforts are in response to a two-week ultimatum issued by ASUU on October 13, 2025, over the government’s failure to address its unresolved issues, including the signing and implementation of the renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement. ASUU has stated that if its demands are not met, it will proceed with a two-week warning strike, after which it will decide on an indefinite and comprehensive strike.
The government’s Technical Working Group is currently finalizing a counter-offer to be presented to the unions. President Bola Tinubu has given a clear directive that negotiations must be concluded swiftly and fairly to ensure students remain in school and the academic calendar is not disrupted.
The Minister of Education has confirmed that some of ASUU’s demands have already been addressed, including the payment of N50 billion in outstanding earned allowances. Additionally, N150 billion has been included in the 2025 budget for needs assessment, with the first N50 billion ready for release. The government has also confirmed that promotion arrears and other outstanding allowances have been addressed, with the remaining areas to be cleared by 2026.
For the first time, the Solicitor General of the Federation and officials from the Ministry of Justice are directly involved in the negotiation process to ensure that all agreements reached are legally sound and enforceable. The government is appealing to the unions to be patient and avoid industrial action while negotiations are being concluded.
