The Nigerian government begins the final stages of negotiations with ASUU and other countries

The Federal Government has begun the final stages of negotiations with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other unions in the country’s higher institutions.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, on Wednesday in Abuja, during a meeting of the ASUU Technical Working Group on Conditions of Service.

He is optimistic that unresolved problems will soon be resolved to prevent further industrial action.

He said his group was finalizing a counteroffer to submit to the union through the Allied General Union Federal Government’s Tertiary Institutions Negotiations Committee.

According to him, the work of the committee is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s directive that all efforts should be made to keep Nigerian students in school and avoid disruption to the academic calendar.

He said: “The president has made it clear that our children must stay in school. The technical working group is working to finalize the components of the terms of service that should be proposed. They are working to finalize the counteroffer to them.

“Hopefully by the end of today, or tomorrow at the latest, the Allied General Union Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expected Negotiations Committee will accept that counter offer to ASUU.”

The minister noted that about 80 percent of union demands are similar across higher education institutions, and the remaining 20 percent reflect specific sectoral concerns.

He said that the committee, which was appointed earlier this week, had begun intensive discussions to speed up the agreement and implementation schedule.

He added that the current administration has made significant progress with the ₦50 billion Earned Academic Allowance payments issued by Tinubu.

”In addition, N150 billion was included in the 2025 budget for needs assessment, and this will be disbursed in three tranches, with the first N50 billion already ready.

“They (lecturers) deserve to be paid that much, as do our academic and non-academic staff, but we cannot give you everything you want at the same time.

“But it is a gesture, our benevolence, a commitment to at least provide substantial benefits and financial rewards to you.

“This government is doing other things to improve your welfare. At this point, we have addressed some of the issues we raised,” Alausa said.

He also confirmed that arrears of promotions and other outstanding allowances, including teaching allowances and salaries, have been addressed, while all remaining areas will be cleared by 2026.

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Reiterating the government’s commitment to mutual respect and sustainable solutions, he appealed to academic and non-academic unions to be patient and avoid strikes as a first resort.

“We have resolved many of these problems. But we know the final part is the service conditions. We will also resolve that.

“So we ask the academic, non-academic and higher education unions to be patient, this government is sincere and we are honest.

“We have shown this to you over the last 24 months, that President Bola Tinubu’s government is on board. So please be patient and patient,” concluded the minister.

ASUU several weeks ago threatened a fresh strike over unresolved grievances.

On Tuesday, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational Institutions and Associations (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) directed their members to embark on a one-day protest for similar reasons on Thursday.