FG: All pending demands were met, ASUU strike is needless

Tunji Alausa says the federal government has addressed all the demands by the Academic Staff Union of Universities. 

The education minister spoke on Channels TV about ASUU’s commencement of a two-week warning strike, starting from October 13.

Alausa said ASUU must call off its strike and continue negotiations, as all of its demands had already been addressed.

“I do not see reasons why they have gone on this strike,” the minister said. 

“I can tell you today that all demands of ASUU have been met.”

He said that the union was determined to go on strike despite efforts to negotiate with them. 

“For the arrears of their earned academic allowance, we have paid N50 billion,” he said. 

“We have addressed the issue of postgraduate supervision allowances, which are to be paid by the institutions, and I have been told that they are being paid.”

The minister said that out of the N150 billion NEEDS Assessment fund that was appropriated in the 2025 budget, N50 billion has been released, adding that the remaining will come in tranches. 

“The promotion arrears, we have told them that this will be paid with the 2026 appropriation budget,” he added. 

“The 25/35 wage award, I have had multiple meetings with them where I told them that all public servants have not been paid, but this will be paid in 2026.”

He said that the federal government committee had provided ASUU a counter proposal on October 10, on issues of condition of service and welfare of workers, but the union had yet to respond before embarking on strike. 

Alausa noted that the inability of the government to meet the union during its three-week ultimatum was due to the absence of the negotiation committee chairman, Ali Ahmed, who had gone on a trip.

“They gave us three weeks and I told him (referring to ASUU president) that Ali Ahmed, who agreed to chair this negotiation committee, had requested that he was going for Hajj,” he said. 

“I told Ali to call the ASUU president and inform him.

“Ali was on lesser Hajj for two and a half weeks, and he had some family issues to deal with in Egypt.”

Alausa explained that the three months’ salary arrears from the eight-month ASUU strike in 2022 were not going to be paid, noting that he had duly told the union about the situation. 

“When they went on strike in 2022, President Tinubu, who was then an aspirant, asked the then speaker of the house of representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, to meet with the union to call off that eight-month strike,” he said. 

“They met and it was decided that 50 per cent of the eight-month strike would be paid. Immediately, Tinubu took over, and he paid because he had only promised to pay that.”

He added that the issues with third-party deduction and remittances to the union have been resolved, noting that they are now at the university level. 

 The minister assured parents that the government is doing everything possible to ensure that ASUU calls off its strike. 

“Let me assure the parents of the students that we are doing everything humanly possible to keep your children in school,” he said. 

“In the last two and a half years, there has been no strike, and this is due to our active and proactive engagement with the union.”