- Alausa claimed the government has engaged ASUU consistently since he took office
- The government’s stance that they will not pay in full the three-and-a-half-month salary withheld
- He concluded by appealing directly to ASUU to “shelve this strike.”
The Federal Government urged the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Monday to suspend its new strike immediately. Minister of Education Tunji Alausa stated that the government had addressed “every single request” the union made and provided a formal counter-proposal.
Eko Hot Blog reports that speaking on Channels Television, Alausa claimed the government has engaged ASUU consistently since he took office and insisted the industrial action has no justification
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He declared, “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.”
ASUU, however, began a two-week total and comprehensive warning strike across all public universities in Nigeria, effective midnight Monday, October 13.
National President Prof. Chris Piwuna announced the strike, stating that insufficient progress had compelled the union to implement the action agreed upon in September.
Alausa countered Piwuna’s claims, asserting that the government is not slow or unwilling to respond. He highlighted that the government paid N50 billion to cover the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) and committed a massive N683 billion infrastructure allocation for tertiary institutions in the 2025 budget. This funding aims to rehabilitate hostels, laboratories, and lecture theaters.
The Minister accused ASUU leaders of contributing to delays in disbursing funds by insisting the entire first tranche of needs-assessment money go only to the university union, rather than being shared with polytechnics and colleges of education. He appealed, “It is ASUU that is holding those disbursements.”
Alausa assured students and parents that President Bola Tinubu’s administration will do everything “humanly possible to keep you in school.”
He reiterated the government’s stance that they will not pay in full the three-and-a-half-month salary withheld during the union’s previous prolonged strike, though prior agreements cover partial payments. He concluded by appealing directly to ASUU to “shelve this strike.”
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